


The Guardian

by Iluthradanar



Series: The Guardian series [1]
Category: Aliens vs Predators Series - Various Authors
Genre: Alien/Human Relationships, F/M, Other, Xenomorph - Freeform, human/alien sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-07
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-03-16 19:42:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 39,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3500543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iluthradanar/pseuds/Iluthradanar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When one human finds herself alone in a Terra-forming colony, sole survivor of an Alien massacre, she must make use of a wary alliance or die. The problem is, the alliance is with one of the aliens who killed all of her companions. Frightened at first, Annalise finds a true relationship emerges between her and the alien who saved her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Running down the dark corridor, Annalise fell hard to the ground, tripping over something she hadn't noticed. Lifting herself up, she looked back to see a body, one obviously of no use to the aliens because it appeared to have been dead for some time. As far as she knew, she was the last person alive, in this colony anyway. She had to find a way to get to one of the neighboring colonies if she was to live. She prayed that they had been able to fight off the intruding army of xenomorphs. Maybe they hadn't been found at all. She would need to warn them in that case.

Freeing herself from the body she had become entangled with, Annalise took a few moments to catch her breath before continuing down the corridor. She couldn't believe the nightmare she had found herself in. This was supposed to have been a simple terra-forming expedition. Now it was a matter of life and death...hers.

Annalise stopped. The corridor she had been running down now split off into a fork. She didn't know which one to take. Which way, which way. Then she held her breath. From deep down the right-hand corridor, she heard sounds of hissing and the clicking of claws on the metal bulkhead. "Shit," she whispered. She took the left-hand corridor instead, running quietly, her ears listening for any sounds of movement. She wiped away the perspiration that was dripping into her eyes and causing them to sting. Her heart was pounding in her chest, from the exertion of running or fear, she wasn't sure. Annalise kept looking behind her, making sure she wasn't being followed. What she didn't see ahead was a ripped out section of wall that lay across the floor. She tried to catch herself, but instead, her feet tangled in some wiring which, when pulled by her efforts to escape, brought down a portion of the ceiling on top of her. Annalise passed out, her last thought being a hope she wasn't found by any of the xenomorphs.

OoOoOoOoOo

Sul'ss wandered the corridors on his own. He had enough seniority in the hive, that a companion warrior was not required. Searching for the life forms here had been top priority, since there had been no visitors to this planet for a very long time. At the arrival of the human colonists, the Mother took a prudent approach, preferring to silently observe the humans for awhile. Later, she gave her children the order to take as many alive as possible. Cocooning began immediately. Soon, the hive grew from 5 to 238. Sul'ss was one of the original of the Mother's children who tended to her needs while they waited for something to happen that would help increase their numbers. The humans arrival gave them that opportunity.

Sul'ss came to the split in the corridor. He raised his elongated head into the air, sniffing through his mouth. There was something...different. The smell of life. He headed down that direction, straight for the scent which was growing stronger. The xenomorph came to a pile of wreckage. He sniffed the air again, before noticing a foot sticking out from the mess of wiring and plasticrete. He pulled on the foot with a clawed hand, dragging the body from beneath the debris. To his surprise, it was another of the humans and very much alive. He bent low, tasting the air over the still form. Peering closely, Sul'ss tugged at the clothing, but the human did not stir. He pushed at it with the front of his massive head several times, getting no response. Sul'ss turned the human over. From the scent he had picked up, and the appearance of the human, this one was female.

Curiosity compelled the xenomorph to listen to the air. None of his siblings were anywhere close. Grabbing the human by the foot, Sul'ss dragged her into a nearby room, the door having been blown away during some earlier battle. He stood over the still human, bending low to sniff her again. He repeatedly nudged her arm with his head until she started to come round.

Annalise felt something pushing at her, so she opened her eyes, sensing she wasn't alone. When her vision had cleared, she found herself looking up into the black form of a xenomorph. She started to scream, but the creature hissed at her so intensely, Annalise found herself swallowing the sound. Startled, she lay still, daring not to move. The xenomorph made no move to attack her. Annalise started to inch backwards. Being cocooned was a fate she didn't want to contemplate. Feeling pain at her brow, she reached up slowly to touch her head. There was a small bump, probably from the falling plasticrete. Passing out with this monster hovering over her was the worst thing that could happen.

Sul'ss could tell from his past experience that the human was afraid of him. She had no weapon that he recognized, so only stood near her, holding her attention. Hearing a sound, Sul'ss swung his great head to look at the broken entry. His brothers were approaching. Grabbing the human by her foot, he began to drag her across the room as she started struggling. Moving near her face, he hissed a warning. If she knew what was on its way here, and what he was trying to do, she would not be fighting him. Hissing again, he felt satisfied when she stopped wriggling about. He dragged her to a corner of the room, pushing her beneath some furniture that had been thrown there. Sul'ss exuded some of his own musk to hide the human's scent. Then he acted as if he were checking the room while he awaited his brothers' approach.

Being shoved rather roughly under the disorganized and broken furniture, Annalise was confused. Was this creature, this monster that had wiped out her entire colony, trying to protect her? Her head jerked up, also hearing noises coming from the corridor. She scrabbled underneath a large chair, curling up as tightly as she could, and waited. She heard the clattering of multiple sets of claws on the floor, the sound indicating there was more than one of the beasts. She heard hissing, and held her breath. She had to be sure of making no sound whatsoever, lest even one of those things notice her.

Sul'ss let his brothers see that there was nothing in the room but debris from a previous fight. Since no xenomorph knew what a lie was, they had no reason to doubt his assessment, and left.

After what felt like an eternity had passed, Annalise heard the xenomorphs leave the room. Still, she didn't move, wanting to be sure that none of them came back. Finally, Annalise inhaled much-needed air, and peeked out from her hiding place. She found herself staring into a black maw. It didn't move at all, but only seemed to be waiting for her. It was her savior, it had to be, but how could she tell them apart. They all looked alike to her. She climbed out from under the overturned chair, and brushed the dust from her clothing. Annalise noticed the creature observing her but making no effort to come closer. She pulled a knife from a pocket, and extended the blade. Hiding it within her palm, she pressed the blade flat against her thigh. Annalise worried that, should she need to use the knife, the creature's acid blood would cause more damage than she'd intended while protecting herself. As she started backing toward the open doorway, she noticed it was making no move towards her. It only hissed low in a non-threatening way. In fact, it still seemed to be waiting.

As Annalise was almost at the door, the creature started moving toward her. She didn't know if their kind had eyes, but it obviously could sense her presence and movements. She watched it carefully as she continued backing out of the door, hearing the creature's low hiss.

"Thank you, but I really have to go now," she said, not sure if it would even understand her. She felt silly talking to one as if it could fathom human speech, but what if it could. Not all animals could speak, yet they could understand. Her German Shepherd, Max, was just a dog, but he seemed smart, even seemed savvy about some things. What if this thing understood her?

Sul'ss heard strange sounds coming from the human. He was aware that was the way the humans communicated. He'd been around long enough to have learned much from the humans, but this was the first time he'd had any interaction with one. He hissed back at her, not wanting her to be afraid of him. He had driven the others away from this place, ordering them to search further down the corridor and into the next section.

Why he had even bothered to save her confused Sul'ss. Humans were necessary for his species to continue. The only way for his kind to breed was to use humans, and other species, as incubators for their young. This colony was already used up, the humans here having been cocooned long ago. Only this human remained, alive by somehow eluding their hunters. Since his birth, Sul'ss had only served the hive Queen, Mother to all of his brothers and sisters. Now he felt he wanted to know more than the world he had existed in. Perhaps he would bring this female before the Mother later. For now, he only felt compelled to help her.

Sul'ss observed her as the human was saying something. He saw her touch her upper body as she spoke. He tried to imitate the sound she was making. "Ahhhhnnleeessss," he hissed softly. He noted her smile as he hissed her name, then gave the human his own name, hoping she would understand.

Annalise heard the xenomorph as he attempted to say her name. Was he merely imitating her, or did he know? He also seemed to be indicating his own name which again sounded like nothing more than hissing. She repeated it as best she could. "Suliss." It must have been close enough, for he was butting her arm with his head. She chuckled lightly until she felt tears flowing down her cheeks. Feeling sudden relief, Annalise slid down a wall to the floor, wrapping her legs in her arms, rocking slightly, wondering what she was going to do now that she had determined the alien wasn't planning on killing her...yet. She wiped her face with her hands hating to reveal any weakness in front of the xenomorph that was watching her.

Sul'ss looked down at the human. What was she doing? Perhaps..., he thought, as he glanced around the room. Raising his head into the air, he sniffed around, until he detected something the human could use. Digging through some rubble, his clawed fingers curled around the handle, and pulling it open, found what he was looking for. He bounded over to the female on clawed feet. Reaching out, he gave her the container he'd found.

Annalise looked up, and saw the xenomorph extending its hand. She took the container carefully, and read the package. 'Dehydrated fruit' She grinned. The creature had found food for her. "Thank you," she said, looking up at it. She tore the package open, and ate the contents. It wasn't a full meal, but it was better than nothing. She wondered if there was anything else she could use here. Looking up at the xenomorph, Annalise reminded herself that this was a killer, just one of many who had killed everyone she knew. She didn't want to turn her back on it, and she never should, even if it was helping her. She had no idea why it would help her, but accepting it as something it wasn't could get her killed. This creature was not her ally.

Sul'ss eyed the human female, careful not to frighten her. She had wanted to leave, but he couldn't allow that since the likelihood of her being found by his brethren was greater than not. She could hide for only so long. So what was he to do with her? He could leave her to her fate. That was what he should do. But as he watched her eat the food he offered her, he decided he would not leave her unguarded. Perhaps if he found a place for her to hide, he could bring the human more food. She lowered her head, wiping her fingers of the stickiness of fruit. Sul'ss reached out toward her hair, caressing it with skeletal fingers. Human hair fascinated him. And her's was thick and dark. He pulled back when she looked up at him.

"I have to go. I really need to get to..." She stopped, not wanting to reveal the other colonists in case his kind had not found them yet. "I need to find a place to hide, away from here," she said as she waved her hands in the air, trying to indicate her going away.

Sul'ss understood what the human was indicating, but he was loathe to let her run around the complex alone. He knew his kind were keeping a constant surveillance at the bidding of the Mother. He reached out with a bony hand to pull her back away from the door, trying to get through to her that running around the complex wouldn't be the safest thing to do. He poked his head out into the hallway and then pulled back, hissing at her sharply.

"I know what's out there, but I have to see if there are any humans left. Can you understand that? I have to know if I'm the only one left." Annalise turned to leave, but then she heard a harsh hiss behind her. The xenomorph was at her back, its intent was to follow her, or so it seemed. She turned around, and staring into the elongated head without eyes, she reached out with a trembling hand, and lightly pushed Sul'ss away from her. "You can't come with me."

So the human didn't want him to accompany her. Did she realize how foolish this was? He butted her arm with his head and hissed a warning. Acting on a whim, Sul'ss picked up the human and tossed her over his shoulder.

"Hey, what the...?" Struggling against the strong hold of the Xenomorph, Annalise realized the bony exoskeleton of the creature hurt as she lay across its shoulder. "Put me down, dammit!"

Checking outside the room for any signs that his brethren were near and seeing none, Sul'ss loped down the hall, keeping his sensories open just in case. Many would no doubt be resting in these morning hours. The Mother would need tending too, but with so many new members of the nest, his absence would not be an issue. He would see to the safety of the human, and return to the nest later.

The human continued struggling in his clutches, so as a warning, he pierced her soft flesh with a claw. Hearing her yelp gave him no satisfaction, but the fact she stopped struggling did. Sul'ss carried his human cargo to what he hoped would be a safe haven. Then he would study her, if they had the time.


	2. Chapter Two

In a different part of the complex, Sul'ss was heading down a relatively damage-free corridor, his fragile burden cursing him the entire way. He didn't understand all her words, but he definitely knew the tone. He wrapped his tail around her, both supporting and restraining her tightly against him. He wanted the human to be quiet, but since it appeared she wasn't considering the danger her constant vocalizations could bring them, he decided to get her to safety as soon as possible. There were sections of the complex his brethren rarely ventured. That would be the best place to conceal the female.

Annalise squirmed until she felt the warning jabs of the xenomorphs claws. So instead, she railed at it for kidnapping her. Turning her head left, then right, Annalise still wasn't able to see where they were going. She finally decided to wait and see what this creature had in mind. If it had wanted to kill her, it would have. Then her blood froze as she thought the worst. It was taking her to be cocooned. That had to be why it hadn't killed her. It didn't want her dead. Human hosts needed to be alive in order for these monsters to breed. She began to struggle again, until she felt herself lifted up. The xenomorph's hands were wrapped around her waist tightly as it dropped her none-too-gently onto the floor. Annalise looked up at the tall, lanky beast as it hissed at her angrily, its mouth inches from her face.

Sul'ss wanted to put on a show for the human. He hissed at her, and exposed his teeth, hoping he was instilling fear in her. He would continue this behavior until she learned to do as he wanted. The noise she was making could easily draw his kind to their location. Sul'ss had to make her stop. "Ahhhhnnleeessss...ssssiiillleennccceee."

Hearing what sounded like an English word, Annalise gasped sharply. She narrowed her eyes, and whispered a question she expected no answer to. "What did you say?"

Invading her comfort zone, Sul'ss pressed closer. "Sssiillleennncccee."

Annalise leaned back. She didn't want the xenomorph's mouth anywhere near her face. She'd seen those inner jaws do a great deal of damage to more than one human skull. Holding her hands up defensively, she nodded, saying, "OK, ok...I understand you. I'll be silent." She scrabbled back against the wall, hugging her knees to her chest. She watched the xenomorph tilt his head, then nod it twice. He understood her. Then she laughed at herself. It had just occurred to her how she was interchanging the pronouns 'it' and 'he'. Since she had no idea what sex it was, if it even had a gender, she would continue to think of it as a 'he'. She didn't realize that she was staring at the creature as she was deep in thought. Yawning, Annalise felt she couldn't go any further without rest. But even with this...this guardian of hers, she was afraid to go to sleep.

Annalise pulled her jacket tighter around her. Although she was unable to discern night from day within the complex, this section didn't seem to be getting any heat at all. The cold was more obvious, now that she wasn't exerting any energy. She folded her arms across her chest, and watched the xenomorph from where she sat.

Sul'ss wondered why the human was regarding him so intently. Was she that afraid of him? Her posture seemed to indicate so. He observed her more closely, fascinated by the fragile alien creature, a suitable example of a human. Their pale softness, their natural weakness, and their independence, all of it intrigued him. They had no exoskeleton to protect them, but instead, made use of deadly weapons. They had a form of leadership, but with no Mother to guide them, they were easy to confound.

Physically, these creatures should have repulsed him. But the features of this human, like the strands that flowed from her head, the small mouth that so far only served to frustrate him, and their ability to adapt to the harsh environment here on this planet, only drew his interest in her all the more. But for him, it was the eyes. They were so expressive. Fear, anger, joy, and tiredness. His kind had no such physicality. They sensed everything by touch, taste, smell, and a physical intuitiveness that his kind used to 'see' when they had no visionary organs. Humans, he found, tended to ignore the feedback from their various senses in favor of what they could see. That made them easy prey in the darkness. This one, he decided, would not be prey. He would make sure of that.

Annalise moaned slightly as she turned her head to the side, leaning her cheek on her arm. She had stayed awake as long as she could, but the day's events were too much for her. She knew the xenomorph was still with her, but she no longer feared him. She was finally aware of his intent, which was to protect her. Her brain could think of no reason for this action that seemed to go against everything his kind had done up to now. If only she could sleep. She needed to rest, and then maybe, her brain could wrap itself around some answers. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed was the face, face?, of her guardian.

While Annalise slept, Sul'ss took the opportunity to examine the human. He sniffed the air, taking in her scent. He would need to remember it, in case they were separated. He reached out to touch her hair, lifting a lock and feeling it glide through his fingers. Rising, he thought he might search for food and water, knowing the female would be hungry and thirsty as soon as she awoke. He would need nourishment too, but could do without food for awhile longer as long as he found water. Besides, what she ate would not suit him. He needed raw meat. Since the only available was his charge, he would have to disregard his hunger for the time being.

Leaving Annalise behind, Sul'ss began his search down the corridor, all his senses alert. He tasted the air, sniffed intently, and eventually found what he was looking for. In one room, was an open locker, filled with provisions unknown to him. He recognized water though. Taking one of the bottles, he looked at it, turning it over. Holding it up, his inner jaws extended, piercing the plastic bottle. He allowed the liquid to flow into his mouth. After having taken in several bottles, his senses picked up a new scent. Digging around the locker, he found some items he felt the human could use.

When Annalise woke, she yawned and rubbed her eyes to clear her vision. She scanned the room as she stretched, and noticed the xenomorph was gone. But beside her, she saw a small pile of canned goods, fruit and several bottles of water. He must have gone to find these things for her. Standing and stretching, she looked around the room. It appeared to be one of the environmental control centers. Not having been assigned in that department, she wasn't ever in this section of the complex. Annalise made note of a bank of power consoles, tables with computers sitting on them, and free-form monitors with figures and numbers written on them. Thankfully, she found no blood or bodies anywhere, as she wandered the room. Obviously, no battles had taken place here.

Bending down, Annalise picked up a water bottle, and opening it, drank deeply. It wasn't long before her bladder made itself known. Looking around for the xenomorph, she ran to a corner of the room and quickly did her business. There had to be a restroom around here somewhere for the staff, but she dared not wander off alone to look for it. Wetting part of her shirt with the water, she cleaned her face and hands, then took one more sip before sealing the bottle. She had no way to open any of the cans, so she took an apple from the pile of foodstuffs and ate it, appreciative of the creature's work on her behalf.

Hearing a sound from the corridor, Annalise turned to whatever was about to enter the room. She ran to hide behind a desk, only coming out when she saw it was the xenomorph. At least, she thought it was him. "Suliss?" she called out.

Sul'ss noted the human's position, and assumed she had been in hiding. He had an idea that might help her. Moving to her, he swung his head around, displaying an old wound he had received in battle. This scar would differentiate him from any of his brethren.

Annalise saw the long scar at the base of the right side of Sul'ss' elongated head. She reached out with a shaking hand to run her fingers over the healed wound. She had never touched one of these beings before, and she was amazed he was allowing it. With new courage, Annalise ran her hand along his entire head, caressing the cool smoothness that felt slightly oily, but when she drew her hand back, there was nothing evident on her fingers.

Sul'ss allowed the human to examine his scar, so that from now on, she would know it was him and not another of his kin. His body trembled as he felt her warm hand touch him, but she didn't seem to notice.

"I understand. This scar will show me that it's you." She actually smiled, relieved that she would know him on sight now.

Rearing up his head, he screed with pleasure, before realizing his error. As long as there were no search parties in this area, there would be no brethren to hear him. But they had to be quiet nonetheless. While Annalise wandered the room, Sul'ss looked around for things he could create a barrier with. He heard the human make a chucking noise and go to one of the consoles. She pushed something, and the door closed with a hiss. Pushing something else, she turned to the xenomorph.

"It's locked now." Annalise began to relax a bit, feeling they might be ok here for the time being. She found herself yawning more frequently. Apparently, her short nap wasn't enough. Looking around, she found another jacket lying over the back of a chair. Taking it, she sat on the floor near the far wall, bundled up the jacket, and used it as a pillow when she lay down. Her eyes peered up at the black-skinned monster who didn't seem so monstrous now. She let her eyes close of their own volition.

Sul'ss settled not far from the human. He decided he needed a bit of rest himself. With their hiding place far from the nest, and the door secured, he felt they would be alright...for now.

Annalise opened one eye to look at Sul'ss. He was absolutely still. She couldn't tell if he was awake or not. Snuggling into the jacket, she closed her eye and sighed. Once she was fully rested, she would find a way to reach one of the other colonies. She didn't know what she would do with the xenomorph. He couldn't go with her, but since his kind were not aware of his actions, he could go back to them with no problem. At least she hoped so.

Hours had passed, when Sul'ss decided to monitor the area after relieving himself. He didn't want to perform the function in front of the female, so he went to the console she had stood at, scanned it to find the buttons she had pushed. Testing several, he found the one that unlocked the door and the other that opened it. First he sniffed the air. Sensing nothing, he went out into, and down the corridor. Finding a private place, he did what he had to quickly, before heading back towards the control room. He hadn't gone far, when he saw something on the floor he had missed. Bending low, his hand reached out to touch the clear gooey substance. One of his brethren had been here, and not that long ago.


	3. Chapter Three

Sul'ss raised his head, exposing his mouth to the air. He inhaled, seeking the scent of his kind. The smell was faint, but whoever was here had probably come and gone. Not wanting to chance Annalise's discovery by any of others, Sul'ss ran back to the control room. Noticing the door torn open, Sul'ss entered to find two of his brothers threatening the human. He saw Annalise holding a piece of piping in a defensive posture as the xenomorphs surrounded her. Sul'ss hissed a warning, stepping closer to the trio, looking at one, then the other of his brothers.

Annalise held the pipe tightly in her hands. Taken by surprise by the attacking pair, she had just about given up any hope of survival when confronted by the xenomorphs, but when Sul'ss arrived, she actually smiled. Noticing the scar on his ridged dome helped renew her will to live. If only she had a pulse rifle or even a shotgun, she could have taken out the intruders. "Sul'ss!" she called out in relief.

Sul'ss hissed, his lips pulling back from his teeth. He knew his brothers would be surprised that his threat was aimed at them, but he had no choice if he were to save the female. Lowering his dome, he headed for the brother nearest to him, butting him hard. The xenomorph was knocked into a bank of power switches, sending sparks and smoke into the air. Turning to the other, Sul'ss found himself thrown across a table. Before he could act, his brother had picked him up by his tail, and thrown him across the room.

Annalise saw Sul'ss being threatened by the xenomorph, and coming up behind him, hit him across the back with the pipe, eliciting a cry of pain from the attacker.

Sul'ss took the opportunity to pull his brother down to the floor, and extending his inner jaws, crushed his head. Yellow-green acid blood splashed everywhere, sending Annalise fleeing to the other side of the room. Sul'ss rose quickly, but not before his other brother, now recovered, had thrown himself at his traitorous kin. Humans were to be taken to the Mother, and Sul'ss had kept this human to himself. His brother didn't know why, nor did he care. He only knew he had to kill Sul'ss, then he would take the human back to the nest.

Annalise watched with her hands over her ears as the two screeching xenomorphs rolled around, tails slashing at each other, as each tried to gain the advantage. Soon, she couldn't tell which was which, as their shiny, black skeletal bodies writhed over one another. She wanted to make a run for the door, but couldn't find a clear path to the opening as the fighting pair thrashed irratically around the room.

Finally, one xenomorph raised his tail, and brought it down on the other, piercing its body in a splash of yellow-green. The victor rose with its back to Annalise. She backed away slowly, not sure it was Sul'ss or the other one. if Sul'ss had been the one killed, she knew she was dead as well. All she could hope for was a quick death, and not cocooning.

The xenomorph turned toward Annalise, revealing himself to be Sul'ss, now bearing new battle wounds. But the scar he had shown the female was the one he wanted her to see. He went over to his charge, careful not to touch her, his blood and that of his kin still smeared on his body.

In her relief, Annalise picked up the jacket she had found, and moving to her guardian, she began to quickly wipe at the blood, dropping the jacket when the acid started burning through the fabric. "Thank you," she said, lowering her head. Smiling up at her protector, she asked, "How did they know we were here?", not sure if he even understood her.

But Sul'ss did understand her. He wasn't able to answer her, though, not directly. He reached out with a hand, touching her head, then touching his own.

Annalise frowned as she deduced what he was telling her. "Telepathy? Oh my god, the Queen will know everything you think."

Sul'ss swung his head at the door, then waved an arm at the other side of the control center.

"What, the further away we go, the less she can trace you? Is that it? Ok, then, we need to get as far away as possible." Actually, Annalise had wanted to find a way outside in order to get to one of the other colonies. Transportation would be nice, if it could be found. While thinking on a course of action, she suddenly realized what Sul'ss had given up in order to save her. His place in the nest. His kind would now see him only as a traitor. His life hung in the balance as much as her own did.

Annalise leaned against Sul'ss, not realizing what she was doing. She quickly pulled away from the skeletal black creature she should be afraid of, mortified by her lapse. That she should be looking at this creature as sentient seemed wrong. Yet, Sul'ss was sentient. She felt handicapped by the fact he had no eyes to look into, so she had no indication of what Sul'ss was feeling or thinking.

Unknown to the human, Sul'ss was feeling confusion, and something more. Something previously unknown to him, yet it drew him to the human female. He reached out again with a hand to touch her hair. When he saw that she didn't shrink back from him, he stepped closer. Hissing low, he pulled the female into his dark embrace, feeling her warmth and softness pressed against him. The Mother would know what he had done. Therefore, he would no longer be a welcome member of the nest. For whatever reason that drove him to protect the human female, he had made his choice when he killed his brothers. Even he, a warrior, would lose any connection he had with his brethren, the telepathic link gone forever. He couldn't communicate with any other species in this fashion, not even his own kind from other nests. Sul'ss had cut all ties with his brothers and sisters to be with this human, his human.

Annalise, not aware of the xenomorph's full sacrifice, didn't push away from Sul'ss. His body radiated no warmth, but gave her comfort just the same. She reached up to caress the ridged carapace of his head, petting him as she would an animal, but in her heart, she knew he was more than an animal. "We need to get out of here, don't you think? They know where we are now," she whispered.

Sul'ss nodded, and swinging his head to the right, looked toward the damaged door. Going to the opening, he peered out into the corridor, looking left, then right. He sensed nothing, but then he had sensed nothing before the attack. He had to be more vigilant in future. Looking at his dead brothers one last time, Sul'ss waited for Annalise to follow him into the corridor. They took the route to the left, staying close, both making sure to listen for any sound ahead of them or behind.

Coming upon some debris from collapsed paneling, Annalise felt sadness at the colony's failed defenses. The place seemed so secure, but no one realized the ingenuity of these creatures. They snuck into the ventilation system, the scouts able to remove barriers such as doors and windows. It wasn't long before the entire complex had been overrun. One by one, the colonists had been killed or taken away to be cocooned. A few hid, with little success. Annalise was one who had managed to survive, and in that time, she had found no one else. She wasn't even sure if any messages had been sent out to the other colonies telling them of the dire situation.

Sul'ss turned to Annalise, hissing at her as he bumped her arm with his head. She wasn't on the alert, and that wasn't acceptable to the seasoned warrior. When they came to a 4-way intersection in the corridor, he reached out with his senses, detecting nothing amiss. Leading his human to the left, they came upon a large room with a pool in it.

Looking it over, it didn't seem recreational to Annalise, so she assumed it was part of the cooling system for the complex's reactor. Bending down, she peered into the water, but saw nothing.

Sul'ss watched Annalise as she inspected the room. What was he going to do with her if they managed to escape the human complex? He couldn't very well leave her to her own devices. They would have to remain together in order to survive, he decided. Where they would go, would be determined later.

Hearing a sound, Sul'ss went to the door. He observed several xenomorphs coming down the corridor. Running to where Annalise was, he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to the edge of the pool.

"What the hell...?" was all she got out, before she was plunged into wet darkness. She barely had time to inhale a breath, when she felt herself dragged beneath the surface.


	4. Chapter Four

Sul'ss held Annalise's arm in his tight grasp, careful not to lose her in the dark waters. Using his tail as a rudder, he swam through the tunnel, not sure where it would lead. His kind hadn't explored this part of the complex, although they had found similar tunnels filled with water, criss-crossing beneath the complex's lowest levels. Having no choice but to pull Annalise beneath the surface, he swam quickly to get her to a dry area as fast as possible. He knew humans couldn't hold their breath in water for long.

Being dragged along in the collection tunnels might have frightened Annalise, but she trusted Sul'ss. Still, after awhile, she felt as if her lungs were going to explode. Panic began to set in. Suddenly, the dark gave way to a dull light, as she was pulled from the water up onto a hard surface. Gasping for breath, Annalise lay on gray metal flooring. Turning over onto her back, she opened her eyes, to find herself looking up at Sul'ss crouching next to her. He butted her gently with his head. "I'm fine...I'm ok," she said between coughs. Now that she was out of the water, she felt slightly chilled. She had to get her soaked clothing off, but she needed something to change into.

Sul'ss waited as Annalise stood, pushing wet hair from her face. She seemed to be scanning this room he had found at the end of one of the tunnels. He wondered what she was looking for. He would willingly help her search, but first, he tasted the air, making sure his kind was not in the area. He looked at her and nodded. For now, they were safe. He knew that their location could eventually be discovered, so Sul'ss stayed on alert.

Annalise smiled when she noticed her protector nodding his head. Ok, then, find some dry clothes, she told herself. Spotting some lockers at the other end of the room, she checked a few randomly. "Must belong to the workmen," she thought aloud. She happily came upon some protein bars and opened one quickly, practically inhaling it. After searching several of the lockers, she found a workman's grey jumpsuit. "Bingo!" she exclaimed. It looked a bit big, but if she rolled up the sleeves and legs, it would suffice for now.

Sul'ss saw Annalise's finds, and sensed that, aside from needing food, she wanted to shed her wet outer skin. It was good that she found dry skins to replace the wet ones. While she changed, he hunted around, looking for anything that might prove useful.

Annalise shook off her wet jacket, then slipped off her shirt. She would have preferred to keep her bra on, but the wetness only made it feel binding. She removed that, then her shoes, and finally unzipped her pants. Making sure the jumpsuit was near, she shimmied the pants down her dampened legs. "Gah, I hate wet clothes!" Pulling them off, she reached for the grey jumpsuit, suddenly noticing Sul'ss looking her way. Modesty compelled her to turn away, and then she laughed. "He's not human, you idiot! He probably doesn't know a breast from a kneecap. Besides, he doesn't even have eyes. Do you?" she asked the xenomorph. She shook her head, and pulled on the dry outfit. She was right about its size, rolling up the sleeves and then the legs. Searching some more, she found a pair of socks, again, too large, but they were dry. Feeling much better now that she wasn't soaked to the skin, she looked up at Sul'ss, whose head hadn't wavered from her direction. He tilted it a little. "So, what do you think?" Annalise asked, twirling like a model. In response to the silence, she chuckled, "Yeah, I agree." She opened another protein bar, eating it less eagerly than she'd eaten the first one. What she'd give to find a steak and a baked potato.

Sul'ss watched his human female with curiosity. He had never seen her kind without their outer skins. Were they all so soft looking and pale? Yet, his sensories were overwhelmed with pheromones, that is, until she had put on the outer skin. The moment had an odd affect on him, and then it was gone. He considered what he had left behind. Being a warrior meant having the responsibility of protecting the Mother. It meant watching out for the safety of the nest. It had also meant the possibility of being selected to breed with the current Queen, to have one's genetic code implanted on future generations. That honour had never been conferred upon him, even though he knew the Mother trusted him completely. Now, he had betrayed her for this pale human. Yet, watching the female stirred something in him. She trusted him as well. He would not let her be harmed, even if it meant his life.

"I'm sorry there isn't anything for you to eat, Sul'ss. And we lost the few supplies we had back in the other room." She finished searching all the lockers, taking whatever could be used later on. Maybe if they found the way out of here, there would be other rooms to search. What she really wanted was a weapons locker. If only she had paid better attention to the floorplan of the areas she hadn't been to. But the complex was so large, just being familiar with the areas she was assigned to was difficult enough. Placing her finds on the bench in front of the lockers, Annalise located a small backpack. In it, she tossed a flashlight, more protein bars, two bottles of water, and a switchblade. After filling the bag and zippering it, she collapsed on the bench. She was tired, dejected, and scared. But where could she go? Even if she did find a way out of the complex, there would be the hazardous environment out of doors. They had run the terraformer for 3 years, and it wasn't even close to being comfortable outside for long periods of time without life-suits. The air was breathable enough, but the weather was less than hospitable.

Sul'ss hissed softly, sensing his human's feelings. He could smell her fear, but there was something else. Nudging her arm gently, he wanted to convey his promise of protection. He was rewarded with the touch of a hand on his carapace. Crouching at her feet, he lowered his head to Annalise, something he had only ever done to the Mother.

Annalise was surprised to see the xenomorph acting so strangely. But grateful for his presence, she leaned a cheek against the cool, black hardness of his exoskeleton. His shoulder was rounded, his arms lean but when she placed a hand lightly on one of those arms, she could feel the muscles in motion beneath her fingers. Tears began to flow from her eyes. Lifting her head, she quickly wiped them from her face, as she spied a metal box lying in the corner of the last locker. "What's that?"she asked aloud. Stepping away from Sul'ss, Annalise went over and picked up the box. It had a lock, but when she tried to open it, she found it unsecured. Inside, was an answer to her wish. A pistol. There were only three boxes of fully loaded clips, but if she used them only when needed, she could make them last. Fortunately, she had been taught the use of a pistol by her brother, who warned her, terraforming wasn't like farming. Sure, they collected water from the changing atmosphere, but they would never be farmers.

Taking a clip from one of the boxes, Annalise loaded the gun, and pointed it at the wall.

Sul'ss watched as Annalise checked the weapon. He knew it was a weapon, having already seen the humans use them against his kind. Xenomorphs had no weapons but the ones nature gave them. Camouflaging themselves in the darkness, the ability to tuck into tight corners, speed and accuracy in attacks with teeth, talons and tails. But facing the weapons of humans, many of his kin had been killed. Still, under the guidance of the Mother, few had been lost compared to the numbers of humans they had cocooned. Now, they were a necessary commodity. He should be taking this female to the Mother. He knew he would not.

Feeling buoyed by her acquisitions, especially the gun, Annalise knelt near the edge of the pool, running her fingertips in the water. Over time, as the outside atmosphere had changed and become breathable, rainwater had been funneled into the collection tunnels to cool the reactor, provide drinking water, as well as giving the colony a back-up supply for other needs. Annalise could see Sul'ss' reflection in the pool, as he was looking down into the water as well. He hissed loudly, sending Annalise falling back on her butt.

A trio of black xenomorph heads breached the calm surface of the pool, causing Sul'ss to scree loudly. Scuttling backwards, Annalise lifted the pistol and aimed blindly for the dark patches, firing off a round in quick succession. One of the heads exploded in a rain of yellow-green blood. As bullets struck the others, there was thrashing in the water that made it difficult for Annalise to get a good target. Sul'ss grabbed the human's arm, dragging her along, and out through the door. If three of his brothers had ventured this far, there would be more following.

"Hang on a sec, dammit!" Annalise cried, as she tried to tuck her gun into a pocket of the jumpsuit. Rushing back, she grabbed the backpack and followed Sul'ss into the corridor.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Several xenomorphs rose from the pool, glancing at their dead and injured brothers. In mercy, they killed them, seeing they were beyond any hope of healing. The Mother had ordered the immediate capture of the traitorous Sul'ss and the human he was with. She wanted to see this human who had compelled her favorite and most trusted warrior to turn his loyalty away from his nest, and his Queen.


	5. Chapter Five

Sul'ss ran ahead, with Annalise following close behind. Hearing the xenomorphs leave the pool sent the pair heading as far away as possible. But they couldn't move fast enough. Sul'ss stopped, prepared to fight. Annalise kept on moving. Spying an elevator, she called out to Sul'ss. "This way!" Stepping through the open doors, she waited for her companion to join her, scanning the panel for the button she wanted. At this point, any floor would do. She hit several lower level buttons. If the xenomorphs were intelligent, she'd have to confuse them as to which floor they got off on. But then, she also wanted to get further away, or it wouldn't matter. They'd be found anyway, because of the connection between Sul'ss and the Queen xenomorph.

Sul'ss entered the elevator, ducking to avoid hitting the ceiling. In this tight space, his size was proving to be a liability. But then, it would be for the rest of his kind as well.

Before the elevator doors could close, one tried to enter, but kept butting his head on the outside overhang. He finally shoved his hands through the entrance, clasping the doors. Trying to pry them open, he was met with resistance from his traitorous brother. Deadly inner jaws attacked him with such force, that he had no choice but to back up. Sensing the human, he reached out and blindly grabbed for her, finding her leg, and tugging hard.

Annalise fell to the floor. She kicked out as she felt herself being pulled toward the attacking xenomorph. Looking up above her, she saw Sul'ss' attempts to fend off the creature, until finally, his inner jaws found an opening, and pierced the skull of his brother. The creature fell backwards, screeing loudly. Acid blood sprayed, a bit hitting Annalise on the leg. But it was enough to start a progressive spread through her jumpsuit. Grabbing at the fabric, she tried to rip at it, but it was sturdy material. Reaching for the backpack, she quickly took the knife she'd found and cut at the burning fabric, tearing just enough away so that the expanding effect of the acid stopped. But some had landed on her leg, leaving a painful burn. "Oh, shit!" she cried, dropping the knife. Opening one of the bottles of water, she poured some over the injury, hoping it would wash any remaining acid away. It seemed to help, but only a little. Grabbing at the leg, she rocked in pain, not bothering to appear brave. "It hurts, it hurts," she said over and over.

Sul'ss crouched next to her, surrounding her with his body. His tail wrapped itself around them both, as his hand inspected the wound. Hissing low to let her know everything was alright, he felt Annalise lean into him, obviously finding comfort in his presence. They would have to get to some location where they could stop to rest. Now that they had been found, his brethren would not be giving up in their search. And something else had to be taken care of. Sul'ss felt hunger growing in his belly. He would have to find food and soon, or face weakening when his strength was needed most.

The elevator doors had shut, allowing the lift to move downward deeper into the complex. The doors opened on each floor Annalise had hit, but Sul'ss didn't get off on any floor until they reached level 6.

Rising from the floor, Annalise found her injury less painful, enough that she could walk with only a slight limp. There was no bleeding since the acid had cauterized the very wound it had caused. Annalise looked around, recognizing the living area for the staff and families. It had been decided these quarters would lie deep beneath the surface of the planet to guard against solar storms and meteorites. They had been placed well away from the reactor and the power stations. Maybe here, they could find more supplies, since Annalise was already tired of the protein bars she'd discovered. Unfortunately, her own quarters were not in this section. If that area had been left untouched, she would have had fresh fruit in her small refrigerator unit. But in any case, there would be other refrigerators to scavenge through.

The backpack draped over shoulder, Annalise headed down the relatively clean corridor, indicating not much fighting had taken place here. She entered a suite of rooms to see if anything useful could be found. She shook off Sul'ss hand when he tried to hold her back. "What?" she asked, looking at her companion. She waited for a moment, then headed for the rooms.

Sul'ss detected something in the air, something he didn't want Annalise to find. But she wouldn't let him keep her from this area, and there was no way for him to tell her what he sensed.

Bending down, Annalise found a toy that obviously belonged to a child who had lived here. Picking it up, she held the rod and squeezed the button in the middle. Filaments created an image, miniature sparkling lights swirling around the air like a fireworks display on the Fourth of July.

Sul'ss was fascinated by the slight wind the toy made, and although he couldn't see it in the same way Annalise did, he could sense movement and light. He reached out to the lights with a bony hand, his talons touching the filaments, causing the movement to slow.

Annalise laughed, really laughed, for the first time since her ordeal began. Taking the toy, she walked around the room, looking for anything useful that could be saved. She picked up items and tossed them when she saw they were nothing helpful. She heard a sound behind her and turned. It was Sul'ss. His head was bent down at something on the floor as he hissed.

Annalise went over to see what he had found. She stopped within a few feet. There, lying on the floor, was a body of a woman. Decay had not quite set in, and it was obvious the woman hadn't been dead more than a day. It appeared she had committed suicide by taking some quantity of pills. An empty bottle lay next to her hand, a few pills scattered around her hand. In her other hand, she held a small photo of a young smiling boy. "Damn, if only we had found her sooner. I wonder..." Annalise looked at the toy, wondering if it had belonged to her child. Maybe the xenomorphs had taken or killed the child, and in her grief, the woman had killed herself. In any case, she might have been saved had they reached this area sooner.

Sul'ss noted Annalise' sudden change in mood. But his thoughts were on one thing. His stomach. He looked down at the body, then swung his head at his human. He hissed low as he peered back down at the dead woman.

Annalise thought she would toss her cookies. Somehow, she knew what Sul'ss wanted. He seemed to be looking at the body the same way she would be looking at a hamburger right now. As disgusted as it made her feel, she knew it wasn't fair to ask him to forgo his desire, since he needed to keep up his strength too. She depended on that as well. He couldn't eat the protein bars, so was it right of her to ask him not to fill his hunger where he could? "It's...it's ok, Sul'ss. I understand." The toy fell from her hand, as she backed up toward the door slowly. "You do what you...have to. I'll be out there. Just let me know when you..." Annalise turned, and ran out into the corridor, hugging the wall as she bent over to gag. Fortunately, she didn't have enough on her own stomach to bring up anything. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. Not for her, not for that woman, and not for Sul'ss. She collapsed against the wall, sitting with her knees drawn up. She needed water, but the backpack was in the suite, and there was no way she was going to go in there and get it, not while Sul'ss was...

Sul'ss knew Annalise didn't approve of what he was about to do, what his stomach was compelling him to do. If he had the choice, he would rather not, for her sake. Turning to the body, his inner jaws extended from his open maw, tearing into the flesh. It was only a bit older then he would have preferred, but again, he had no choice. It was eat his fill of this human, or weaken. If he weakened, he would not be able to protect his female. Eating quickly, he consumed more than enough flesh to sustain him for days. The internal organs were always tastier prizes for his kind, soft and sweet as they were. But for now, he only thought of taking in sustenance. When he had finished, he turned toward the doorway, sensing Annalise still in the corridor. As repelled as she was by his need, she had not left him. Noting she had left the backpack behind, he grabbed it and left the room. Walking over to his human, he dropped the pack at her feet and crouched down, waiting.

Annalise had her eyes closed tightly, trying not to imagine what was going on not 10 feet from her. When she heard the pack hit the floor, she opened them to see Sul'ss sitting next to her. She noticed no gore, thankfully, to show that he had used the body for his needs. That might have sent her over the edge. Reaching out to touch his carapace, she whispered, "I forgive you." She thought she heard low purring, as she caressed the xenomorph. Knowing him only as her guardian all this time, she leaned her cheek against his great head, saying, "We'll get through this. I know we will."

Sul'ss shivered beneath the touches of his human, but this was no time for any physical pleasantry. They had to find a more secure place before they could take the time to rest. Picking her up, he reached down and gave Annalise the backpack. Swinging his head in the other direction, he was satisfied when she nodded, taking a place behind him as he led them onward. Once they found food for Annalise, they would find a place to sleep. Then they would see what they could do to leave this place and find sanctuary elsewhere.


	6. Chapter Six

Sul'ss was feeling stronger now that he had fed, but he noticed Annalise was quickly losing steam. She was lagging to the point that he had to get behind her and push her onward, or when leading the way, dragging her along by the arm.

"Stop it, Sul'ss! I'm too tired. Just leave me alone." She wanted to sit down, but her companion wouldn't let her rest. Although it had seemed quiet for the last couple of hours since they'd left the cooling pool, they were still in danger. Seeing the entrance to another suite, Annalise hit the door button. It was not locked, and slid open with a quiet swoosh. She headed immediately for the kitchen, opening the refrigerator, hoping to find something edible. The unit was still working, and held an assortment of containers. Grabbing one, she opened it to find leftover lasagna. Dropping the backpack, she sat on the floor. She took a handful of the pasta and shoved it into her mouth, swallowing it before she even had a chance to taste it. Breathing hard, she ate another handful, more slowly this time, noticing it did taste good.

Sifting through the abandoned items, she found a bottle of orange juice. While drinking deeply, she scanned the living quarters. Glancing at Sul'ss, she felt the place was empty of anyone, or he would have indicated something. Slightly sated, she tried acting more civilized, and hunted for a fork to finish off the lasagna. She opened several cabinets, and found cans of auto-heated soups and stew. Stashing the fork in her backpack, she found a spoon and tossed that in there as well. Her hunt for food turned up fruit, candy bars, and even some home made cookies. Taking one, she sat in a chair, and ate it with relish. It was peanut butter chocolate chip and tasted delicious. It had been awhile since she'd had cookies.

Sul'ss wandered the room, picking up things and letting them fall to the floor. He found humans a curious species, but wanted to understand them more. They seemed to love surrounding themselves with useless items. And unlike his kind, individuals did everything for themselves and not for the collective whole. The Mother looked at this as a weakness.

Annalise jumped up and running to the door, locked it. Turning, she leaned against the door. "Maybe we can relax here awhile. Do you think we'll be safe?" she asked Sul'ss. Hopefully, his kind would not have an easy trail to pick up. Not for some time yet. She had an idea. Going to one of the bedrooms, she checked the drawers and closets for clothing that would fit her. Hitting the jackpot, she discovered some clean t-shirts, and work slacks, plus a pair of shoes close if not an exact match in size. She stuffed the clean items into her now bulging backpack, then picked up the things she'd selected to change into. She didn't want to put these clean clothes over the filth of three days of not showering.

Annalise found the bathroom, and sending up a silent prayer, turned the shower knob. A warm spray of water hit her, causing her to smile broadly. Stripping off her jumpsuit, she stood under the warm water and closed her eyes. Brushing back her hair with her hands, she let the spray wet it thoroughly, before taking a bottle of shampoo and working up a sudsy lather. For a moment, she felt normal. It was as if the nightmare of the least few days had been just that, a nightmare.

Grabbing a bar of soap, she cleansed her sore body, then turned to place her palms flat against the wall, letting the water run over her. She allowed her thoughts to drift to more pleasant times, before the colony had discovered they were not the only species on this planet. Something brought Annalise out of her reverie. She turned to see Sul'ss watching her. She turned back to the wall, not caring about anything for the moment. Let him look, she thought. It doesn't matter anymore. Raising her face to the spray, she let it rain over her, washing away her cares.

Sul'ss watched over his human, noting that she seemed to be enjoying the water. He turned to leave her to her peace, when he saw her start to crumble, her legs collapsing beneath her. He reached her in two strides, stepping into the water as he caught her before she hit the floor. He let her down gently, then crouched beside her. He hissed his concern. His knowledge of humans was incomplete but growing, since his time with Annalise. But he didn't know if she was ill, or just so tired that she couldn't stand.

Sensing Sul'ss' arms holding her, Annalise realized where she was. She felt her body falling, but could do nothing to stop it. As she was brought to a sitting position on the floor of the shower, she grasped onto thin but muscular arms, leaning against her protector's body. His rib-like torso provided no comfortable place to rest, but she didn't push him away. The fact that she was naked didn't even bother her. Her mind was so fogged up, she couldn't bring two thoughts together that mattered. She felt Sul'ss head resting upon her shoulder as he held her gently, careful of his talons. Random thoughts swirled through her mind.

I need sleep, but I don't want to move. Please don't let me go.

Without realizing what she was doing, she nuzzled against the xenomorph. The water was becoming cooler now, and whoever was holding her gave off no body heat. "Help me. I need to turn...off the...water."

Sul'ss did as she had asked, lifting her gently, and holding her while she turned the tap off. As she collapsed once more, he swung her frail human body into his arms, where he could carry her to some place warm. The bed was a mystery to him but it seemed soft enough as he laid her out on the mattress. He watched her turn on her side and fall asleep without a word to him. Crouching on the floor between the doorway and the bed, Sul'ss decided sleep was what both of them needed. For now, he felt they would be safe here.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Sergeant Conrad, are the troops assembled?"

"Yes, sir. Checking their gear as we speak." Conrad, after years serving under Major Tanner, knew what to expect from and what was expected by, his commanding officer. The soldiers who served under him did as well. This was one of the most well-honed units in the Colonial Marines, thus the assignment to check out the colonies on this outpost had fallen upon them. All had checked out fine, except one. There had been no response to any transmissions, and now the unit would be sent out to check the all-too-quiet colony in person.

"Alright. Let me know when the squad is ready." Major Tanner nodded, and briskly walked away. He felt satisfied that once they arrived at the colony, it would be nothing the men and women in his command couldn't handle.

Sergeant Conrad, on the other hand, had read reports on a terraforming project similar to this one several years ago. Contact with that colony had been lost as well. Troops were sent in, a routine bug-hunt it was called. None came back alive. He wasn't about to let that happen to any of his soldiers.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Annalise turned in her sleep. Half-awake, she discovered herself naked, lying on a bed, with a blanket partly pulled over her. Sul'ss must have placed her here, because she remembered nothing after the shower. She rolled over and saw him, the xenomorph, lying between her and the front door. Her guardian, always there, always watching out for her. "Sul'ss," she whispered, more to hear his name on her lips than to call out to him. But he heard her.

Sul'ss rose and went to the side of the bed, crouching next to it. His human was awake and looking at him. He nudged her arm with his head, pleased when she placed a hand on his shoulder, lightly running it down his arm to his clawed hand. She was fine, just tired, but with rest, she'd be able to keep up with him again.

Annalise lay quietly, feeling for the first time since her harrowing adventure began, things were normal. Well, maybe not quite, since she had a xenomorph as her companion. The enemy, maybe one who had himself killed some of her fellow colonists. Yet here he was, taking care of her, protecting her, making sure she was safe. Why? Why had he sacrificed himself for her? She ran a hand over his arm, her fingertips feeling the ridges of his exoskeleton. She caressed the ribs that made him almost appear to be inside out, knowing that beneath those ribs, a heart must beat. A heart that not only gave him life, but feelings as well.

Sul'ss didn't move, lest his human stop touching him. He let her explore, hissing low until he was practically purring. Pheromones filled his senses as he reached out to touch a damp lock of her hair. It fascinated him since his kind had no such adornment. He wondered what purpose it served? He poked at her thigh with a talon, careful not to pierce the soft flesh. Sounds emanated from his human's throat. Was his touching her hurting her, or did she find it pleasing? Again, Sul'ss found himself experiencing feelings out of bounds from his normal behavior. Some part of him didn't understand what he was experiencing. It had nothing to do with hunting or protecting the nest, it had nothing to do with anything in his memory.

Sul'ss had never been given the chance to mate with the Queen. If he had, he would have given it no more thought than he would have performing any necessary function for the nest. The Queen would have taken several males to mate with her, allowing them to deposit their semen into her. Once her store sac was full, she would use it each time she laid eggs. Never again in her lifetime would she take a male. And if any had tried to mate with her, she would have killed them.

Sul'ss didn't know that his regard for Annalise went beyond anything he had known in his existence. This was all new to him. Nudging at her, he exposed his teeth, actually tasting the air around her. He sensed her muscles tightening up in fear, then she visibly relaxed as he withdrew. Her arousal was more than apparent to him, the scent filling the air around them. He couldn't help his own arousal making its appearance through a slit in the softer exoskeleton between his legs.

Annalise was in a daze as she let Sul'ss touch her. When he pressed closer, she tried not to show fear, but it was disconcerting to see such lethal weapons so close. He did not hurt her however. She looked down and noticed with a low gasp of surprise, something that proved her previous curiosity. "Well, I guess the question of gender's been answered." The xenomorph was obviously in a state of arousal. For her? Was it even possible? She pulled the blanket more tightly around her. Still, was it wrong for her to be so curious? She wanted to reach out and touch him, but what if that told him she was a willing partner. Human and xenomorph, not exactly a partnership made in heaven. But she was beginning to find his bolder caresses getting to her, in spite of her fears. Knowing he could kill her in an instant made it seem dangerous, yet she knew he wouldn't hurt her. As he touched her with the tips of his talons, she noticed goosebumps popping up on her skin. "That tickles," she laughed. As he ran his fingers along her arms and back, she couldn't keep from sighing aloud. It felt so good. She closed her eyes in contentment as she rolled over into her stomach, allowing Sul'ss to explore her body.

Sul'ss was fascinated at the noises his human made as he touched her. He would repeat an action to see if it elicited similar sounds. Instinct took over where experience couldn't fill in the blanks. Grabbing Annalise by the waist, he pulled her to the edge of the bed, and rising over her, let his body hover over hers. She started to struggle but in his mind, this was normal behavior. He braced himself with arms on either side of her, hissing low as he began courting her. He rubbed his chin on her back, and pressed his erection against her.

Annalise panicked. What was Sul'ss doing? Surely he didn't mean to rape her? As she felt him rubbing himself on her back and against her bare butt, she realized what it was he wanted. She tried to rise up on her hands, but he pushed her back down against the mattress. Soon, she found herself resisting less as he played his body against her own. She wanted her mind to shout that this was wrong, but her body spoke otherwise.

He had sacrificed his life for her, she thought. He had cared for her, and had even killed for her. He was intelligent, and obviously saw her as more than just his charge. As she felt him press his arousal closer to his goal, she found herself parting her legs to allow it. She was a human, and he was an alien lifeform. There had been nothing in the guidebooks saying this would never happen. All she could do was whisper 'Yes'.


	7. Chapter Seven

Annalise hadn't realized that she'd lost her self-control until she felt Sul'ss' erection probe her backside. She had only recently been fatigued, and just plain tired. But she'd slept deeply with Sul'ss guarding her, and she awoke feeling much better. She had grown to trust him. Even when running from his fellow xenomorphs, he had proven his inexplicable loyalty to her. She had begun to view him as a person, but as a sexual partner? No, absolutely not! So why were his touches now setting her on fire? Partnering with an alien in the game of survival was one thing. Sexual congress with one was wholly different. Yet, even now, with him hovering over her, his arms braced on either side of her, why wasn't she yelling for him to leave her alone.

Sul'ss caressed Annalise with his talons, careful not to scratch her fragile skin. Her hair tangled in his fingers as he pulled himself closer to her. She cried out in pain. He knew that because of the many times he'd heard humans cry out in pain. He was very familiar with the sounds as he sliced into their soft flesh, or as his young brothers burst forth from their bodies. Sul'ss had no desire to hurt Annalise. He allowed his fingers to untangle themselves from her hair, whereupon he ran his talons over her back gently. The sounds she was making were different from before. They were sounds of pleasure instead of pain. As he pressed against her, he could smell her scent of arousal, which in turn, aroused him. His organ was already extended through his sexual vent. She was trying to fight against him, but he knew his urges would not be ignored.

Annalise felt the evidence of Sul'ss' need. She struggled against his hold on her, but he was too heavy. She tried to twist around beneath him, but as she raised herself up, his sex found and penetrated hers. She gasped and froze. In the time she'd spent here at the terraforming complex, she'd had her share of lovers, but this was so unlike any experience she'd had with men. Sul'ss frightened her, and yet he aroused her as well. What would sex with him be like? Somehow, she knew he would never intentionally hurt her. As she felt him move inside her, all worries fled her mind as her body's instincts took over.

Sul'ss was fully aroused when he felt himself pierce her opening. He moved into her, even as he knew that by doing so, his world was forever lost to him. The loss was worth being with his female. He had never mated with any of his sisters, his only desires being to guard the Mother and provide for the nest. His sudden hunger for Annalise took him by surprise, but it changed nothing. He would have her.

In that moment, Human and Xenomorph became one, in the instinctive physical action that was older than civilization. No longer enemies, the two very different lifeforms became lovers.

Annalise tried to stand, but Sul'ss was holding her down. He was taking her from behind. Moving her body to match his thrust, she felt him enter her. His organ felt cool and hard, with ridges running along the length. But as he began to pull out and thrust back into her, she could feel every ridge along his length. The pleasure was almost unreal. Her mind stopped thinking so analytically when he began pushing into her faster. He would press his head against hers as he hissed low in her ear. She found herself bucking against him which only encouraged Sul'ss to deeper thrusting. She felt her body respond in a way unanticipated, but she rode with it. Soon, she couldn't hold back the orgasm that engulfed her, crying out as she felt a knot push past her opening, and deeply into her.

Sul'ss heard the female cry out, and instinct told him it wasn't from fear. He was sure of her pleasure as he thrust into her. He felt something that he couldn't stop, building up inside him as he moved deeply into Annalise. He pushed into her one more time, as he screed loudly his own pleasure, then was still as his semen pumped into her. He froze over her body, letting himself expel into her the seed once reserved only for the Mother. Bending his head, his small, inner jaws extended, Sul'ss nipped at Annalise' neck, tasting her blood as he bit her. This was not something done between his kind, except when fighting, and that was rare. But the soft flesh of Annalise tempted him as he sought some way to mark her as his own. Any of his brothers who saw her would know this, not that he ever intended for any to get that close to her.

Annalise was panting as her orgasm subsided. She wondered at Sul'ss lack of movement. Was that all there was for him? Soon, she felt his organ throbbing inside her. He was cumming hard, but not quite like a human male. He held himself completely still as he pumped her full with his semen. "Hey, watch that!" she cried, feeling his teeth biting her neck. She was being pressed against the mattress, as he continued to come inside her.

Minutes passed, until Sul'ss had finished, and he felt his organ return to normal. His first time at mating, and it was with a human. But he felt more protective of her than ever, rubbing his entire body against her.

Catching her breath, Annalise gasped out, "For an alien, you sure know how to fuck." Aghast at her own crudeness, she relaxed her fisted hands, not realizing she had been kneading the blanket beneath her. She reached behind her to caress the dark head hovering over her. Annalise felt his clawed hand gently stroking her hair and back, as he nuzzled her with his chin. Overflowing semen dribbled down her legs, as she nuzzled back, laying her hand over the one supporting him over her. She turned to face him, noticing already that his organ had receded into his body. She pressed between his arms, giving a sigh of satisfaction when he embraced her. His body wasn't soft, but it was strong and gave her comfort. She planted a kiss on the side of his great skull as he leaned over her shoulder. Tears began to flow unbidden. She pulled back, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. It's just...this all has been...so hard for me." Annalise leaned into him again, then pulled away to curl up on the bed. The next thing she knew, Sul'ss had climbed onto the bed and curled his own body, virtually wrapping himself around her. Together, they slept.

On waking, Annalise turned to an alert Sul'ss and told him, "Wait here. I need to um...just wait here," she said, holding her hands out towards him. She went into the bathroom, and turned on the shower. The xenomorph had cum so much inside her, she felt she needed to bathe before dressing. Remembering the pleasure of their joining as she cleansed herself by rubbing soapy water over her nether parts, she smiled. No one would ever believe this, not that she would ever tell anyone.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Somewhere, in another section of the complex, the Mother cried out in her anger and pain. Her child had thrown away his family and his heritage to physically join with the human. She could no longer hear his thoughts, but she felt his pleasure and knew what was transpiring. Now, more than ever, the Mother wanted to confront Sul'ss and the human female. She ordered her children to hunt everywhere until they found their brother. She cautioned them not to hurt him, but to bring him back to her, alive. If she cooperated, the human was to be left alive as well, for now. Anguish filled her senses, imagining what it took for Sul'ss to turn against his own kind. She continued keening out her sorrow for her lost child, as the hunter would now become the hunted.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Sul'ss stood at the bathroom doorway, waiting for Annalise to dry off. He watched her, admiring her shape and movements. It would be easy for him to take her again, but they needed to find a safer location to stay, lest his brothers find their trail to this place. Hissing at her, Sul'ss wanted her to hurry. He tugged at the towel, until she smacked his hand.

"Alright, alright, I'm done," she said, dropping the towel on the floor and heading into the bedroom to find her fresh clothing. Feeling the xenomorph's eyes upon her as she dressed, Annalise wondered if they would have the time to experience sex again. Looking in the mirror, she saw the raised welt where Sul'ss had bitten her. It stung slightly, but she didn't mind. It had been incredible, she had to admit, and she could easily become addicted to being with Sul'ss. But she knew he would not fit in her world, nor she in his. Sighing, she went over to the large dark creature to whom she owed her life several times over, and insinuated her arms around him. She hugged him as she felt his head lower over her shoulder. Letting him go not without some reluctance, she went to the living room and grabbed her backpack. Giving the apartment one more look, she nodded at Sul'ss. "Well, where do we go now?"

Sul'ss, a fast student of observation, opened the locked door, and peering out into the corridor, led Annalise further away from the nest, and hopefully to safety.


	8. Chapter Eight

The dropship had exited the assault vessel U.S.S. Phoenix, and accelerated towards the planet's surface. Aboard the ship, Sergeant Conrad was having his soldiers give their weapons a final once over, while Major Tanner was checking the online cameras. Once he was satisfied they were in working order, he checked the life-sign trackers implanted in each soldier. They, too, were in operational order.

"Sergeant, give me an update on what we know." Tanner had read the earlier report, but wanted to know if there had been any new developments.

"We were in communication with the colony closest to C-04, but the weather has taken a turn for the worst, sir, so they've scratched the search party. It'll be up to us alone to search the complex for any signs of life."

"Very well. What is our ETA?" Major Tanner had been a field soldier his entire career. When Command had wanted to give him a desk job, he refused, and threatened to leave the Corp. They relented, and let him have this command. No one was more experienced, but this mission concerned him. Why would an entire colony simply stop communicating with everyone, the other colonies and Earth? It was their job to find out.

"ETA, 6 minutes, Major."

"Thank you, Sergeant."

Conrad turned to his troops. The best men and women in the Corp, bar none. Fearless, excellent marksmen, and capable in any fight, they were loyal to their Commander, their Sergeant and each other. His pride showed in every interaction with them. "Alright, Marines, get ready. We don't know what we're going into here, so be ready for anything. Corporal Shipley, you take your squad and fan out right. Private Marsters, you take your squad left. Miller, you, Jenner, and Baker head for Operations. Everyone, keep in touch. Let me know if any of you see or hear anything, anything at all." With more emphasis, he said low, "Stay frosty. Is that clear?"

In unison, the soldiers barked, "Yes, sir!"

Conrad nodded with satisfaction. Something in his belly told him this wasn't going to be an easy mission. He didn't know what was causing the hairs on the back of his neck to rise, but he had the feeling it would be something he had never encountered before.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Sul'ss led Annalise down the corridor, always keeping his senses sharp. They had food, water and weapons, so made no stops in any of the rooms.

Annalise walked behind Sul'ss, all the time remembering what had happened not so long ago. It couldn't have seemed more real had she been on drugs or delirious with illness. But it had happened. She and the xenomorph had sex, together. She could still feel him inside her, and it made her smile. Focus, she told herself. It won't happen again. Still...

Sul'ss sensed movement down the corridor to the left. He stopped, his head raised. His human came to stand beside him. He turned to her, hissing softly.

"What is it?" she whispered, trying to hear what he obviously had detected. Suddenly, she felt herself picked up in a strong arm, being toted along like a sack of powder plasticrete. "Put me down now," she cried. "I can fight, dammit!"

Sul'ss couldn't go far with the human struggling so. He dropped her, careful not to hurt her. He became angry at her behavior. Why didn't she let him protect her?

When Annalise hit the floor, she muttered expletives as she grabbed for her backpack, and digging around, found the pistol. She checked to be sure it was loaded, and swung the backpack over her shoulders. "Ok, let's go."

Sul'ss watched Annalise take point. She didn't show fear, which she should have, had she known all of the things that could happen to her if they were captured. As he walked behind her, wary and alert of any movement behind them, he realized he felt pride in his female. Her courage was unexpected, and only served to encourage him to offer his protection. She was a worthy mate, this he knew. Sensing something that prompted him from his thoughts, he nudged Annalise in the back.

"Ok, ok, we go faster," she acknowledged testily. But having Sul'ss at her back made her feel more secure.

Coming upon some debris, Annalise noted the damage inflicted to this part of the complex. She had hoped as they neared closer to the outside, there would be no indications of human and xeno conflict. She carefully maneuvered over the broken pieces of plasticrete and wiring, helping Sul'ss with his large and angular form, to get through the mass of wiring. He had so many appendages, it would be too easy for him to become entangled. Once past the mess, they quickly moved further down the corridor.

Annalise thought she heard something, and turning to Sul'ss, his action confirmed it for her. He hissed loudly as two xenomorphs came around a corner, and seeing the pair, headed for them.

Annalise raised the pistol and aimed for one of the creatures, shooting at his head. He barely slowed, and reaching her, slashed at her with the talons of both hands. He missed, remembering the Mother's orders, but swished his tail behind the human, trying to knock her down to the floor.

Sul'ss roared out a warning as he tried to help Annalise, but the other xenomorph attacked. Fighting back with claws and his extended inner jaws, the two tumbled along the floor, slashing and biting at each other. Sul'ss didn't know that killing him was not the goal of his brother, so he fought for his life, aiming for vulnerable spots. He attempted to keep Annalise in his sights, but he had his hands full defending himself.

Sweat fell into Annalise's eyes, stinging them. Unable to see clearly, she shot wildly with the pistol until the clip was empty. Then she hoped she hadn't hit Sul'ss. Feeling something sharp against her leg, she fell to the deck, hard. Looking up, she saw the xenomorph looming over her. It grabbed her arm even as she struggled, but the pain in her leg made it impossible for her to fight. Tears ran down her cheeks as she cried out, weakly striking out at the hissing creature. Off in the distance, Annalise heard screeing. In the next moment, the shadow above her went away as she felt her arm loosed. Then she fainted.

Being the better fighter, Sul'ss had dispatched his brother, then headed for Annalise and her attacker. He saw her lying on the floor, unmoving. Anger filled him as he lowered his head and ran straight for his brother. With a roar, he slashed and bit, his tail acting as another weapon, jabbing at the other, slightly smaller xenomorph. Sul'ss picked him up, and threw him against the wall. Striding over to his fallen brother, he stood over him, and aimed his tail for the head, piercing the skull with a splash of yellow-green blood. Ignoring the burning hiss of the blood on the floor, Sul'ss went back to Annalise. Now that he was closer to her, he could see that she was alive. Her leg had an ugly gash on it. Gently, he picked her and the backpack up, and looking back at his dead kin, he carried his human to a safe haven. How long would they have to fight their way out of here? If only Annalise knew of any exits, but she seemed as disoriented as he was.

Finding a room that hadn't seemed touched in any way, he entered and laid Annalise on the bed in the other room. He went back and secured the door. Hopefully, the xenomorphs were searching for them in small parties, and there would be no others following the ones he had killed. He had to tend to his female and her injury. It was bleeding steadily, and the only way he knew to stop it was by cauterizing the wound. He pierced his palm with the talon of the other hand, and let the blood drip onto her leg. He ached inside when he heard her moaning, but it was working. The bleeding had slowed.

Annalise felt pain in her leg, and tried to move away from it. "Sul'ss, where are you?" she moaned. She blindly reached out and felt his arm, lean and hard, and it gave her comfort. He was here, right next to her. Sighing, she turned onto her side and slept.

While his human was sleeping, Sul'ss curled up next to her, wrapping his body around her. He didn't know what he would do if she died. No, she wouldn't die. She was too strong for that. She was his mate now, and he would do anything to protect her, even if it meant killing every one of his brethren.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The dropship touched down about 100 meters from the expected entrance. The Marines stood and exited by twos, lining up next to the ship.

"You have your orders, people. Let's go!"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Annalise turned over, stretched and sighed. Bumping up against Sul'ss, she smiled as she stretched, until a slight pain reminded her of the previous battle. Sitting up, she looked down at her leg. There was a scab already forming over the gash given her by the attacking xenomorph. Her companion must have done something to speed up the healing. She snuggled against the sleeping creature beside her, grateful for his loyalty. Tucking her head beneath his chin, she slipped back into sleep, feeling safe and content, despite the dire circumstances they found themselves in. Somehow, they would survive.


	9. Chapter Nine

Annalise stirred from a deep sleep, murmuring as she squirmed next to Sul'ss, who still seemed asleep himself. She sat up, and looked down at her leg, expecting to see the scabbed-over gash. Instead, she saw smooth skin with barely a hint of injury. Looking closer, she did find a slight scar where the gash had been. She ran her hand over the spot, not sure if she had dreamed the entire fight against the two xenomorphs. The rip in her pants along with dried blood stains told her otherwise. What had Sul'ss done to help her to heal so quickly?

Falling back against the pillow, her eyes scanned the room. Yet another abandoned set of living quarters. She turned her head to face her companion, who had, again, saved her life. Why was he helping her when his own kind had killed the colonists? He obviously felt something for her, but what. She couldn't communicate with him, so sadly, would probably never find out.

I need to change clothes, she thought. Rising, she looked around, spotting the backpack Sul'ss must have brought, since she had been out of commission. Digging in the pack, she pulled out a clean t-shirt and a pair of pants. Glancing over at Sul'ss, Annalise thought, Poor thing, he must be zonked out from defending me against those...those monsters. Sighing, she realized he was as much a monster as they were, only he cared about her. That had changed his status in her eyes. He was her guardian now. Shaking her head, Annalise headed for the bathroom to use the facilities and bathe. While they had access to water, she was going to enjoy it.

Pulling her shirt over her head, Annalise noticed a darkened bruise on her side. She must have gotten it during the fight. But it didn't hurt when she touched it, and it was already showing signs of healing. She removed her pants, and stood nude in front of the sink's mirror. She touched the spot on her neck where Sul'ss, in his passion, had bitten her. It, too, had healed, but she could make out the small rounded teethmarks of his inner jaw.

Sul'ss stirred on the bed, and saw that Annalise was not there. He heard noise coming from the smaller room. She was there, probably making use of the water emitting device. He rose and headed into the outer room. Finding a corner, he relieved himself, before going back into the bedroom.

Annalise was looking over her body, bruised, scratched and feeling very hungry. She pulled up her dark brown hair, and circled it on top of her head. Turning it from side to side, she remembered the days when life here in the colony was good. The work was hard, but on down time, everyone knew how to play as well. She'd even had the chance to feel like a woman, dressing up for the occasional dances. That was then, this is now, she muttered. Letting her hair fall down atop her shoulders, she recalled her previous experience with Sul'ss. She had to admit, the sex had felt incredible, even if he wasn't human. As if that moment were frozen in time, she reached down and began to gently rub herself. Stop torturing yourself, she berated the image in the mirror. She was about ready to turn the shower on when she saw she was being watched. She smiled. "Hello, sleepyhead."

Sul'ss was transfixed by his human. She was without her outer skin, and looking soft and pale. But he was used to that now. It only served to make him feel more protective of her. He sensed Annalise's arousal as he tasted the air. Unbidden, his own desire for her made itself known. Bending low to get through the doorway, he stepped towards his mate.

Holding up her fist, forefinger pointed at the xenomorph, Annalise said firmly, "Oh no you don't. Not again. Not this time. You...you stay away. I mean it!"

Sul'ss, aware of her intonation, lowered his head. He hissed in frustration, and moved back into the bedroom.

Annalise immediately regretted her harshness. She needed this creature if she were to survive, but there was more to it than that. She could easily let herself slip again. But now was not the time to be in any sort of experimental relationship with an alien. "Sul'ss, wait." She followed him into the bedroom where she found him crouched on the floor. Kneeling next to him, she reached out and caressed his carapace, leaning forward to kiss it. "I'm sorry. It's just...we can't...I mean, this isn't the place...oh damn, I don't know what I mean." She leaned against his arm as she sat on the floor beside him. Neither moved for minutes, each only feeling the other.

Sul'ss didn't understand the reticence of his mate. They had joined once. It shouldn't be an issue ever again. Yet, she had rejected him. Perhaps it was because she was human. He didn't know everything about her kind, but he thought she had accepted him as her mate. Chancing making her angry, he reached up and placed a hand on her head, enclosing it entirely within his long fingers. He caressed her, hoping she would understand his desire. His head swung down when he sensed movement. Her hand was touching his leg, moving closer to his erection. His desire for her had not gone away, and he was ashamed when she had pushed him away. But she was reciprocating.

Annalise felt goosebumps when Sul'ss touched her. In this moment of peace, was it so difficult to think of better things? She noticed his penis had not receded into his body, so she tentatively reached out to touch him. Admitting the truth to herself, she wanted to feel him inside her again. Maybe it was his musk, maybe it was his physical difference, maybe it was the amount of semen he had filled her with, but she was beginning to feel desire of her own. Her hand wrapped itself around his distended organ and squeezed gently.

Hissing low, Sul'ss raised his great head, and screed out his pleasure. This had never happened to him before, but this was Annalise touching him. He barely moved while her hand was holding his organ, giving him such pleasure. She played with it as moisture oozed from the tip, rubbing the fluid up and down his length.

Hell with it, she thought, as she directed the xenomorph to allow her to straddle his lower body. Because of his physiology, he couldn't lie down flat, but he could sit, leaning back against the bed. Annalise sat astride him, leaning against his chest as her arms wrapped around him. She felt a purring rumbling deep in her lover's chest. She felt his hands holding her, the tips of some of his talons pushing into her flesh, but she didn't care. She rubbed her face in his neck, inhaling the subtle musk, wondering if it was a natural aphrodisiac. The longer she was with him this way, the more she wanted him. He was hard beneath her, but she was wet for him as well. Raising herself up, she sat down on him, taking him slowly into her. She gasped at his size, but was in total control as she let him enter her inch by inch until he filled her completely.

Sul'ss wasn't sure what to do. The last time he had been with Annalise, he controlled their union as he took her from behind. This time, he knew she was the one in control. As he moved inside his mate, he felt her tightness engulfing him. She was slick and warm as he thrust up into her. His arms wound around her body, holding her close in case she tried to move away.

Riding the xenomorph's erect penis, Annalise moaned low in her throat as her hands grabbed Sul'ss shoulders tightly. Both clung to each other as their bodies moved apart and crashed back down together. She felt the ridged organ within her grow as the knot filled her. "Oh, god..." she panted, barely able to speak.

Sul'ss pressed the side of his head against that of his mate, sensing his impending orgasm. He thrust deeply into her one final time, then stilled as his seed shot up inside her. He felt her own climax as the interior of her body was squeezing his with each pulse of her orgasm. His own fluids overflowed her body, and pooled on his lap. He heard her cries of pleasure, his own louder still. Then the knot shrank as he finished spilling into her. His head fell over her shoulder even as she slowed her movements. She didn't rise up yet to allow him to slip from her. It was almost as if she enjoyed the feel of him in her, and he was no more interested in letting her go.

Finally and reluctantly, Annalise sat back on Sul'ss' legs, running her hands over his ribbed chest. She grabbed one of her discarded socks off the floor, and tried to wipe herself dry. "Good grief, making love with you is a messy business." She reached down between them, wiping away the semen that had pooled beneath her. Smiling, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on the side of the xenomorph's head. "I'll be right back, and then we'd better find something to eat before we go." Standing, she gave Sul'ss one final caress before heading for the bathroom.

Sul'ss watched his mate go, a certain unexplained feeling inside him. He was joined with her now, no matter what. But she was not his queen. They would never breed or start their own nest. Still, he was bonded with her in a way he would never have known with the Mother, his true Queen. He rose, and going into the other rooms, sought food for his mate while she bathed.

Annalise turned on the water, and stepped into the shower, cringing at the expected pain from the piercing of Sul'ss' claws. Feeling no stings, she examined her body, only to find the tiny holes already healed over. She frowned, until the water distracted her with its warmth. Weird, she thought.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Back at the dropship, Major Tanner and Sergeant Conrad monitored their troops, waiting for any news. Feeling antsy at not being with them, Conrad called the small group heading for the Operations Center.

"Miller, have you guys reached your target yet?"

"We're in Operations, now, Sergeant. The place is a mess. Lots of damage, empty weapons, and some blood. But there are no bodies, anywhere." His voice indicated the anxiety of their discovery. They were used to bodies in every state of damage possible. But finding no bodies at all with the indication of an obvious fight, only served to create confusion and fear, the wrong emotions for field service.

"Alright, Miller, stay there and lock things down. The others are checking the perimeter, and if they don't find anything, we'll all join you in Operations. See if you can pick up any life signs using the complex's tracking system."

Corporal Shipley and Private Marsters both overheard the report, and turned to their people, knowing they'd heard the report too. In an effort to dispel any growing fear, Shipley called out, "Ok, Marines, let's see what we can find. Someone or something attacked this place, and it's up to us to find out who. Let's move!"


	10. Chapter Ten

The Queen of the xenomorphs called all her children to stop searching for their brother, and to return to the nest. She had sensed a presence in the complex that didn't involve her traitorous child Sul'ss, nor his human kssss. Once the xenomorphs had returned, plans were made to find out who the invaders were, and how best the nest could be protected against any threat. When humans were around, none of her children were safe. If she hadn't known his thoughts, the Mother would have assumed Sul'ss was in league with them. But he was not. He had aligned himself with the lone female human. For that alone, he would have to be punished. But now, she had greater things to consider, top priority being that of survival.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Sul'ss led the way down the corridor from the last quarters they'd stayed in. Annalise followed behind quietly, but her ears were wide open, listening for any sounds. They came to a fork, and stopped. Sul'ss tasted the air. He detected nothing amiss, and turned for the right corridor, but Annalise pulled on his arm.

"It's this way," she said. "If we go down that way, we're heading back toward the center of the complex."

Sul'ss grabbed her restraining arm, pulling her to the right, but Annalise fought him. "No, it's this way."

Sul'ss hissed at her, pulling harder.

Annalise broke free, and said, "I don't care what you say, we're going this way." She gave him a stern look before heading down the left corridor. An angry xenomorph reluctantly followed her.

"It's not far, if I'm remembering it correctly," Annalise said. It was hard trying to distinguish the different departments and the various corridors she'd been down, knowing there were some areas she'd not been in at all. Spying a door plaque, she read the words on it.

Vehicle Bay Three

She thought for a moment, and then hitting the button to the right of the doors, waited for them to open with a quiet whoosh.

Sul'ss pushed past her, wanting to make sure it was safe for them to enter. The room was huge, filled with different types of equipment and two-man ships that were parked against the back wall.

"Those are the smaller ships we used to move around the outside of the complex and to the neighboring colonies. The larger vessels are in another holding bay." She wandered around the room, excitement showing by the smile of her face. At least now, they had transportation. Luckily, she had been trained on the two man ships. The on-board computer practically flew the vessel itself. The pilot was just a passenger unless an emergency came up. Annalise went over to one of the windows and peered out. It was twilight, the sun of this system never shining too brightly on this world. Once the terraforming had been completed, it would be much like Earth, with distinct days and nights. Hopefully, that plan would not be abandoned once the presence of the xenomorphs was known. Feeling a push at her back, Annalise turned to see her companion behind her. "So what do we do now? I can take one of these ships and go over to the next colony, but..." She reached up to caress Sul'ss' carapace. "...I can't take you with me."

Cannot...leave me...behind.

Annalise brought her hand up to her mouth. "Oh my god," she whispered. "I heard...I heard you! Inside my head. I understood your thoughts." She tried to fathom what had just happened, remembering back in the corridor, something similar had occurred. She was beginning to understand Sul'ss' thoughts, and he was beginning to understand her spoken words. Somehow, their bond was strengthening. "Can you understand me?" she asked, looking up at the xenomorph.

Sul'ss nodded. Before you, I understood. He raised a taloned hand to entangle his fingers gently in her hair. "Ahhhhnnleeessss..." he hissed aloud.

Unable to help herself, Annalise embraced the skeletal figure of her lover and savior. It was insane, but nothing that had happened in the last few days could be called sane. She had been alone, last survivor in a dead colony. She, herself, would have been a casualty if not for Sul'ss. She did owe him, but it was more than that, she knew it now. She couldn't leave him, but how could she take him with her? If any other human saw him, they'd want to kill him, or worse, the exo-biologists would want to capture and study him. She wouldn't allow that to happen.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

In Operations, Private Jenner had run detection programs, searching every building, and found nothing. When she changed the specifications of the search, readings were suddenly picked up. "Miller, come look at this," she said.

The squad leader came over next to Jenner, and looking at the detection screen, saw several blips, quite a few actually. "Human?"

"Hard to tell. Detectors aren't that precise."

Speaking into his commlink, Miller said, "Sergeant, this is Miller. I think you and the major should get over here to Ops. We've picked up some life signs."

"The colonists?" Conrad asked.

"I'm...I'm not sure, sir. It's difficult to say. There's something off about the readings."

"We'll be right there," Conrad replied. Turning to the major, he said, "Want to join us, sir? May be something completely new."

"You expect me to be left out, Sergeant? Damn straight I'm going with you. Lead the way."

Grabbing his gear, Conrad activated his directional detector, and along with Major Tanner, left the dropship, and headed for Operations. He called the other two search parties to meet them there.

"If it's the colonists, they'll have a lot of explaining to do. If it's not..."

Major Tanner recalled his worst missions. "If it's not, we had better be prepared for anything, Sergeant."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Annalise let go of Sul'ss, stepping back from the xenomorph. "What do we do?" she asked. She really needed help with this decision.

Sul'ss tilted his head as he thought. If he left here, he could be killed. They both could, for that matter. He had already decided he would never leave Annalise's side. He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently, careful not to pierce her tender flesh with his talons. We go together or we stay.

Annalise smiled and nodded. "Ok, we go, together. Let's get a transport ready." She ran to one of the two-man ships, and getting inside, prepped for departure. Checking over the instruments, she discovered the vehicle was fully charged and ready for takeoff. She called to Sul'ss, who managed to squeeze himself into the other seat. It wasn't comfortable for the xenomorph, due to his physical shape and numerous appendages. But it should be a short trip. She turned to him. "Ready?"

In response, he hissed low. Ready to go with you.

Hitting a switch, Annalise opened the outer doors, and lifting off, headed outside for the first time in ages. The light was low, and rain fell in sheets, but the weather wasn't what filled her thoughts as she began departure proceedings. Checking a map that was in a side pocket, she looked for the nearest colony. Just as they were ready to leave the complex behind, something happened that disabled their plans.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Major Tanner and Sergeant Conrad reached Operations, followed closely by the rest of the Marines. Looking over the detection screen, Tanner and Conrad realized there was life here. But whether it was the colonists or something else could not be determined without closer inspection.

Major Tanner stood before the assembled troops. "We're heading for that area, there, where the blips were discovered. I wish I could say it was safe to assume it's just the colonists, but that wouldn't be practical. We'll assume the worst and be better prepared. Everyone, check your weapons. Watch each other's backs. Sergeant Conrad, you and Marsters lead the men using the detectors." Choosing his best two marksmen, he placed them just behind Conrad and Marsters as back ups. He also placed the next best shots to bring up the rear. "Ok, let's move!"

Heading out of Operations, the band of alert and ready Marines went in the direction of the anonymous blips. They had traveled about15 minutes when they came upon an area unlike anything they'd seen in the complex. The walls were black with some sort of resinous build up, and the air was thick with humidity.

"What the fuck...?" One of the Marines has placed his hand on the wall. It came away with a sticky goo. He tried to shake it off, but ended up wiping it on his trousers. "What the hell is that?"

Baker came over to check it out, using an analyzer to see what the substance was. "Water, mucus, and enzymes. Some minute amounts of substances I've never seen before." Reaching out to touch some of the goo, she declared, "This stuff hardens into...this." She smacked the bumpy and ridged wall with a hand.

Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck rise up in warning, Conrad ordered, "Ok, everyone, stay frosty. I think we're heading into the deep unknown."

The Marines, listening for any sound, continued down the oddly created corridor, until they reached a long, dark room. Suddenly, from a corner of the room, several dark creatures unfolded themselves from the ceiling, and began attacking the soldiers. Letting loose with their weapons, they brought down the attacking monsters. Others took their place.

Corporal Shipley called out, "Grenades!" She led a couple of the troops in tossing plasma grenades further into the room. One by one, each exploded, taking out a section of the room. They could hear screeching coming from within the smoke and fire. Backing up, they tossed in a few more for good measure. One hit a gas line, which then exploded, knocking the soldiers to the floor. It shook hard beneath them.

Tanner bellowed over the noise. "Everyone out! Now!"

Helping each other to stand, the group backed out from the room, and headed up the corridor to regroup.

Conrad called out, "Back to Ops, everyone." Now that they knew the blips had not been the colonists, they would need to time to figure out what had attacked them.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The small ship shook unsteadily in the air due to some unexpected turbulence from an unknown source. Annalise set the vehicle down, and looking over the exterior of the building, she saw smoke in the distance. "Oh my god!" She and Sul'ss exited the craft, and headed back into the equipment bay. Shutting the doors, she paced back and forth, trying to make sense of what had happened.

"We're not alone. Someone else is here," Annalise spoke at the obvious.

The Mother...

"That was an explosion. Your kind don't use explosives. Mine do." Annalise wondered if some of the other colonists had come over after having had no contact for so long. But why would they be using explosives? Were they attacking the other xenomorphs?

Sul'ss raised his head in the air, as if he were listening to something. A distant voice was pulling at him. The Mother. Something was wrong. He had to return to the nest.

"No, you can't go!" Annalise cried out, tugging at her companion's arm. "If your people don't kill you for running off and helping me, those colonists will."

The nest is attacked. I must go. Help.

Annalise sighed in frustration. She wanted the aid of her people. But she didn't want to expose Sul'ss to them. So what was she going to do? It was a choice between getting help for herself, staying with Sul'ss and finding someplace to go together, or going with him to the nest where his kind would be waiting. The only thing that held any certainty was to find the colonists and secure their aid. That meant letting Sul'ss return to his own kind. He knew that too, by his seeming nervous behavior while she was thinking. She walked over to him as he stood near the wall, head bowed. "You know it's for the best. You have to help your people, and I need the help of mine." She kissed his carapace, and let herself be enclosed within his arms.

Mate will be alone.

"You have to go find your kind if they need help. I need to find mine. We'll meet up again if there's any way possible, ok? You have to go now." She didn't want the colonists to arrive here and find this very different xenomorph. They wouldn't know the difference anyway. Once they found out what had happened to the colony, killing Sul'ss would be the only thing they'd want.

Sul'ss knew Annalise was right. He had to help the Mother. He pressed his head against her forehead, butting her cheek gently. He purred as she caressed him and placed a kiss on the side of his head.

"Be careful," she said, as her eyes watered, and one tear slipped down her cheek. "Go!" She watched as Sul'ss headed out the room. Then she gathered her back pack, and slipping her gun into the waist of her pants, she headed out too. If she could convince the colonists to leave, Sul'ss and his kind could live in peace. But if they already knew about the xenomorphs, extermination might be the only thing on their minds. And would Sul'ss' kind leave the other colonies in peace if they were were allowed to live here? Unfortunately, Annalise had no answers to either question.

A/N:

Translation from first paragraph:

kssss=derogatory term used for non-xenomorphs


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Alert for rape attempt scene**  
**When the Xenomorphs talk to one another, they will sound intelligent. Speaking aloud, they sound less literate** 

Chapter 11

Annalise headed down the corridor, feeling truly alone for the first time since the attacks. She found herself missing Sul'ss and his reassuring presence. Suddenly, she stopped. Where in the hell did she think she was going? The smoke and fire seemed to be coming from building B, that much she was sure of. But she didn't want to go where the xenomorphs were. That was the whole reason for her and Sul'ss parting company. Think, girl! Ok, if it were up to her, she'd go to Operations. That is where any principal staff would be, so if she, as an outsider, were searching for anyone, she'd go there. Hopefully, there would be at least one person remaining, even if the others had gone in search of the xenomorphs. Annalise inhaled deeply, exhaled the stress within her, and headed for Ops.

OoOoOoOoOoOo  
Sul'ss walked into the Mother's chamber, his humble position denoting complete obeisance. He entered slowly, head lowered in supplication. Several of his brothers started for him, hissing their anger, but the Mother screed loudly at them, stopping them in their tracks.

No one will touch my child. If he is to be punished, that duty is my right alone.

The xenomorphs backed away slowly, knowing their Queen's temper was not one to be ignored. Still, their loyalty to her was not something questioned, for always, they obeyed only her. But having the traitor Sul'ss in their midst again angered them.

Sul'ss stepped forward, inching closer to the Mother. He kept his head bowed in respect.

Come closer, child. The xenomorph Queen inspected Sul'ss as he stood before her. Where is your kssss? She did not come with you.

Sul'ss bristled at hearing his mate called such a word. He respected and desired Annalise despite her differences. She is not with me. She is with her own kind. He dared now to make his offer. Mother, the nest was attacked. I want to help. I come to you with abject obedience, and will accept any punishment. But let me help to protect the nest.

Humans, they did this. She pointed across the laboriously altered room to where explosives had left their mark. Dozens of eggs were destroyed, the shells burned and torn open, their contents lifeless. Your brothers and sisters will never have the chance to live because of the humans. Yet you align yourself with one.

Sul'ss wanted to please his Queen, since she had given him life by producing the s'heth that bred him. But he was mated to Annalise now. If he had mated with any of his sisters, the Mother would have no objection. He had chosen, instead, to mate with an enemy to his kind. Even though Annalise had nothing to do with the attack, the blame would fall on her as well.

Yes, your kssss will pay for the crimes of her kind. Your brethren will kill them all. That is my decision.

Mother, I came here to help my brethren. But I will not allow them to kill my h'sta-ess.

You mate with her, give her your es'tset. You choose the humans over your own.

No, Mother! I do not care about the other humans, only my h'sta-ess. She is changing. Her thoughts are now my thoughts. Perhaps she will experience other changes. Perhaps...she will be more So'reth'esst...and less human.

The Mother thought about this. To have a human as a member of the nest might have its advantages. But she would have to swear absolute loyalty to her as Queen, and to the well-being of the nest. If she agrees to this, bring her to me. I will question her myself.

Sul'ss bowed his head. Inside, he felt pleasure that the Mother might accept Annalise as part of the nest. But with the humans here, would his mate readily agree to leaving them to be with his kind?

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Annalise knew she was close to Operations when she heard muffled voices coming from up the corridor. She stepped lightly as she approached the window looking into the main room. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a group Colonial Marines mingling together, some working on computers, others checking systems. This is even better then having other colonists here, she thought. She turned to the left and was about to head for the door to Ops, when she found herself looking into the end of a pulse rifle.

Hold it right there, miss." The Marine didn't lower his weapon even when he found the intruder to be female.

Holding up her hands, Annalise interjected quickly, "Hey, take it easy there. I'm a colonist. You can put down the rifle, uh, Private Jordan," she said, scanning his insignia and nametag. "I'm actually happy to see you guys."

"Come this way, please." The private turned, satisfied that Annalise was following him. He led her to Ops and Major Tanner.

The Private lowered his rifle, but kept alert, just in case. This woman didn't seem the least afraid, even with all the signs that something horrible had happened here. So why wasn't she bothered by any of it? "Sir, I found this woman wandering the corridor..."

"I was not wandering," Annalise interrupted. "I was coming here after I saw the explosion in Building B. It was you, wasn't it?"

Major Tanner pulled up a chair, and indicated for Annalise to take a seat. "I'm Major Tanner. We were under the impression, Ms..."

"Annalise Brevard. I work in the Hydroponics bay." She paused and corrected herself. "Worked there, before..."

The major waited, then seeing that the woman was becoming emotional, he asked, "Why don't you tell us what happened to the other colonists, Ms Brevard."

"Alright." Her eyes followed the faces of the soldiers as they prepared to listen. "One of our expeditions had returned with something they'd found in a cave about 60 miles from here. They said the cave walls had some strange substance covering them. They brought back what appeared to be...a sort of egg, I mean a big egg. It wasn't long before whatever was in the egg had hatched and attacked one of the lab technicians. The creature had attached itself to her face, but it later fell away, seemingly dead. I didn't see any of this personally, but heard from someone who had." She looked around to see a rapt audience staring at her. She continued. "I heard that later on, this technician was found dead, a huge hole in her chest. We never found what had killed her, but it was awhile later that people began disappearing. Sometimes, the bodies would have similar injuries the technician had. Other times, they had been mutilated beyond recognition." Annalise swallowed hard, remembering that Sul'ss may have been one of the killers.

Sergeant Conrad, who was listening closely, said, "We saw some of your "eggs", and destroyed them. That was the explosion you saw. We didn't see anything else. You're saying that there is another form of alien life here?"

"It took us awhile before we found anything. But when we did, it was like a nightmare come true. These creatures would capture our people, cocoon them in some sort of resinous substance, like what the cave walls were made of, or so I heard. It was determined that the eggs contained a creature that, when attached to a human face, would deposit an embryo inside the host body, and later that embryo would burst out, killing the host. They...grew, taller than the average human, with teeth and claws. We tried fighting them, but soon, there were more of them than us."

The other Marines began talking amongst themselves.

Major Tanner spoke loudly. "Quiet, everyone." Turning back to Annalise, he said, "Ms Brevard, how many of these creatures do you think are in the complex?"

"Well, if it takes one human to breed one alien, there could be at least 200. One thing, Major. They have a very acidic blood. Killing them isn't easy, because if you're too close and get sprayed with the stuff..."

"I understand," Major Tanner said, already thinking on the best way to approach these creatures without his men getting hurt.

One of the soldiers came up next to Annalise, giving her an unwavering stare. "So how is it you weren't killed by one of those things?"

Something about the man gave her chills. Annalise looked at his nametag and answered, "I managed to hide, Private Spinelli. I've been hiding ever since...well, when I couldn't find anyone. I found a body in one the staff quarters, but it was a suicide. Other than that, there had been signs of fighting, but I was alone as far as I knew."

Major Tanner turned to his right hand man. "Maybe we'd better start a search. Sergeant, take whomever you wish and fan out. Check the rest of that building and any nearby. If there are eggs, there has to be something laying them. I think you should come with us, Ms Brevard."

Annalise stood. "Sure, Major, I'd like to help out." She really had Sul'ss' safety on her mind. If the Marines were going into the nest, she wanted to make sure he wasn't harmed when they started firing on the xenomorphs.

Following along with the Marines, Annalise felt the grip of her gun in her pants waist. It reassured her even though she assumed it wouldn't do much damage against an army of those creatures. Where is Sul'ss, she wondered. Was he even alive, or had his kind killed him for his treachery?

Soon, the group had reached Building B. Breaking up into three groups, the soldiers fanned out in different directions, senses alert for any movement or sound. All they found was the damaged eggs, but no sign of any other lifeforms.

A prickling at the back of her neck caused Annalise to move away from the Marines and toward another room. She thought she heard something, but it was more in her mind than in the room itself. She shook her head, trying to clear it. Something felt familiar.

"Look out!" cried one of the soldiers. He aimed his rifle at Annalise, only she realized that he was actually aiming behind her. She turned around to find herself staring straight at one of the xenomorphs.

Annalise backed up slowly, happy to have the Marines with her. But when she saw a familiar scar on the xenomorph, she cried out, "Don't shoot!", placing herself between the soldiers and the alien. "I know this one. He saved my life, on more than one occasion." She went over to Sul'ss, and stunned the soldiers by hugging the creature. She rubbed her hand over his carapace. "He won't hurt us, unless you provoke him," she said, staring at the raised rifles.

Sul'ss met his mate with joy, happy to see her alive, but because of the other humans, he remained wary. H'sta-ess, he thought, as he reached out to touch Annalise. In return, he received a knowing smile from her.

Not one rifle was lowered as the stunned soldiers watched Annalise and her xenomorph interact with each other. Spinelli's eyes narrowed as he watched the scene.

Sergeant Conrad slowly approached the pair, rifle at the ready. He knew his men were backing him up even as he got closer to Annalise and the creature she was near. Her lack of fear surprised him. "What is going on, Ms Brevard?"

"Sergeant, when I was all alone, I ran into this...this alien. He saved my life, and even killed some of his own kind to do it. I owe him, so you will not hurt him, understand?"

Conrad noted how the woman was holding the creature's arm, as if they were the closest of friends. Or was it more? No, his mind shouted. Get those thoughts out of your head It's insane! "Does he know where the others are?"

Annalise looked back at the sergeant, but said nothing.

"We can find out, if it's to be that way."

Annalise stared him down. "What, Sergeant, torture? Threaten me, to get him to tell you what you want to know?"

Conrad stood inches from Annalise, despite the low hissing coming from the creature next to her. He guessed she wouldn't let the thing kill him. "Why are you protecting the very animals that killed this colony, Ms Brevard?"

"I'm not protecting them. I just..." Her voice faltered as she realized she wasn't sure what she was doing.

Tell nothing. She heard Sul'ss in her mind.

There is nothing to tell. I don't know anything, she thought back to him.

I will find you, Sul'ss promised.

Before she could utter a word of protest, the xenomorph screed loudly and moved. Sul'ss startled the soldiers, some of whom still managed to fire off a round or two at him, before he vanished into the darkness.

"Damn! Now we'll have to hunt him down." Turning toward a surprised and unhappy Annalise, Conrad thought on his next move. He knew that this woman was somehow in league with the xenomorph, but she seemed sincere in not knowing where any others were. Perhaps she was telling the truth, perhaps not. Conrad made a decision. "Private Spinelli, take Ms Brevard to OPs. Hold her there. We'll keep searching here."

"Yes, sir!" Spinelli went to grab Annalise by the arm, but thought better of it, in front of the sergeant. He raised his rifle and pointed it at her. "You know the way," he said grimly.

Walking in front of the Marine, Annalise proceeded to Ops. About halfway there, the private chanced to grab Annalise by the shirt, pulling her back against him. Turning her around to face him, Spinelli looked at her, not with desire, as she would have expected. No, he was looking at her with hatred, as if he wanted to kill her.

Grabbing her arm, Spinelli pulled her into a nearby room. He pushed her hard against the wall. "So, you gave yourself to one of those animals? Is that why he let you live? That makes you a traitor, you know." He grinned at her, licking his lips as he imagined what he was going to do to her. "Well, if you can fuck one of those alien bastards, you can fuck me."

Annalise squirmed, trying to get free from the soldier. "Why are you doing this? You're supposed to be here to protect us."

"And you're supposed to want sex with human men, not some damn creature that killed everyone here. If you like it rough, I can give it to you rough, bitch." He leaned forward, pressing his mouth against hers, forcing her mouth open with his tongue. His hand played roughly with her breast, before he leaned against her neck, biting hard. "Come on, bitch, move it!" He led her into a side room, where they wouldn't be heard by anyone passing by. Setting aside his rifle, he started to unzip his pants with one hand, while holding her tightly with the other.

Annalise dug her fingernails into his arms, trying to cause enough pain to break his concentration. It wasn't working. She wriggled her lower body, hoping to get the room to knee him in the groin.

Sul'ss stopped, wanting to get back to Annalise and free her from the soldiers. Why had he left her with them? He wanted to get away, warn the Mother, but he never should have left Annalise with them.

He moved down a corridor that would take him around the humans, where he could sneak up on them and retrieve his mate. Before he had even reached the opposite side of the egg chamber, he could sense his mate nearby as he realized he was close enough to feel her thoughts, if not fully understand them. He could tell, however, that she was in distress. He began to sprint as he traveled the corridors. Peering left and right as he ran, he knew he was close to her location. Here. He felt she was so close. Hearing a noise, Sul'ss entered a room, and saw one of the human soldiers struggling with...Annalise! Rage filled the xenomorph, as he raced into the side room, reaching out with his taloned fingers. He yanked the soldier away from his mate, his claws digging into the man's soft flesh. He felt the wetness of human blood dripping over them, spurring him on with a bloodlust borne of a desire for vengence. He threw the human across the room, then stood over him, hissing loudly.

Annalise understood what Sul'ss was thinking. He wanted the man's life for hurting her. She went to her inhuman lover, tugging on his arm. "Stop, don't kill him!" She wanted the man dead too, she had to admit, but she feared the reaction of the other Marines if they found out that Sul'ss had killed one of theirs. He mustn't give them a reason to kill him.

Raising an arm, Sul'ss swiped at the man, cutting a deep gouge in his belly. His internal organs spilled out as Sul'ss picked the human up off the floor, and holding him high, the xenomorph's inner jaw shot out and pierced his skull. Blood sprayed over the screeing alien, who tossed the now dead body against the far wall.

Annalise knelt on the floor, stunned by the violent behavior displayed by her lover. Fear held her tightly. She had to make sure no one suspected Sul'ss of this murder. Getting up, she pulled on his arm, dragging him to the bathroom. "You've got to get cleaned up." Even though he was large, she forced him to bend low to get into the shower. Turning on the water, she began to rinse the blood from his skeletal body. "You shouldn't have done that. Oh god, you really shouldn't have killed him." She was close to hyperventilating with fear, as she washed him carefully. "Couldn't you have just...knocked him out?" She stepped into the warm water, wrapping her arms around Sul'ss. "Ohgod ohgod ohgod..." she repeated, unsure what to do.

Sul'ss understood what Annalise was feeling. She was afraid for his safety. He held her against him, trying to soothe her anxiety. He would let no one hurt either of them, or killing again would be his response. He lowered his head over her shoulder, enclosing her in his embrace. He wanted it to be as it had been, before the humans arrived. It had been too long since he had mated with his h'sta-ess. Need to be with you.

Annalise laughed. "I can't think about that now, Sul'ss, as much as I would love the diversion. We have to do something with the body. Hide it somewhere."

We go to the Mother.

"The alien queen? Are you crazy?" Annalise tried to think of a solution, but her mind wouldn't work. "What can we do?" she cried out in dispair.

The Mother. She will see you. Protect us.

Was it possible? Had Sul'ss gone back to his kind, been forgiven, and now the alien queen was offering to meet with her? It was too incredible to believe. But they had to do something. She couldn't let the soldiers kill Sul'ss. "Where is she?" she asked.

Sul'ss held her by the arms, and pressed his forehead against hers. I take you now, h'sta-ess.

A/N: Translation for words I made up:

s'heth = Xenomorph word for the facehugger

h'sta-ess = life mate

es'tset = seed or semen

So'reth'esst = what xenomorphs call themselves (totally made up by me


	12. Chapter Twelve

Sul'ss led Annalise to the lower levels where a new egg chamber had been created. Since the other had been destroyed by the humans, the Mother ordered a new chamber prepared in an area that would also house the new nest. It was laborious work, but the xenomorphs had finished quickly. Located beneath the core generator, the heat exuded from the massive device would hide any life signatures of the xenomorphs, a previous error now corrected. Since more human hosts had arrived, the Queen immediately began laying eggs containing new s'heth. Soon, the humans would be lured here for cocooning.

Annalise noticed the humidity starting to rise, as they headed deeper into the nest. Reaching out, she touched the excreted resin that changed the walls from smooth, light-coloured plasticrete to something alien and mysterious. It now had the same appearance of Sul'ss' exoskeleton, black and ridged.

Moving carefully in the dark, Annalise found herself stepping on something gooey. She peered down at her feet to see them standing on rougher flooring made of the same substance as the walls. But there was a gooey slime everywhere, which made her want to stop walking. As she leaned a hand against the wall, she felt more of the stuff. "Oh god, what the hell is this?" she cried out as she rubbed the hand on her pants leg.

New chamber prepared for eggs.

"Sul'ss, I don't think I can go through with this." She started trembling, and clenched her hands into fists. "She's going to kill me, isn't she?"

No kill. Come.

Sul'ss placed a bony hand on her back, slightly pushing as he guided her onward down the darkened corridor. When she pressed closer to him, fear compelling her to wrap an arm around him, he resolved to convince the Mother to accept his mate into the nest. If she did not, he may very well decide to leave the nest himself. But where would they go even if the Mother let them leave in peace? To the human soldiers? They'd expect him to betray his brethren, if they didn't just kill him outright.

Annalise started hyperventilating, making Sul'ss nervous. He didn't know enough about humans physically to know if Annalise was sick. He held onto her while she attempted to catch her breath.

"No, I can't. I can't." She leaned over, her hands on her knees, breathing shallow in a rapid pant. When she felt his hand on her shoulder, she lashed out, thinking he was trying to push her on. She swung her arm at him, but his quick reflexes served him well in helping him to avoid her swing. Instead, she hit the wall behind him, which cracked a portion of the hardened resinous substance. Pieces fell to the floor at their feet. "I...I'm sorry. Oh my god, did I do that?" She inspected her hand and found no cuts, not even a bruise forming.

Sul'ss knew what was happening to his mate. She was slowly adopting the affectations of his kind. Telepathy, enhanced strength. How else will she change, he wondered. The Mother might know.

Come. She waits.

Annalise sighed, resigning herself to this meeting. All she could do was hope that Sul'ss would protect her.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Conrad spoke into his commlink. "Spinelli, have you reached Ops yet?" Nothing. "Spinelli, are you there?" Something was wrong. "Shit," he uttered.

"Problem, Sergeant?" Major Tanner asked as he came over next to Conrad.

"Sir, I can't reach Spinelli. He should have arrived at Ops by now. If that creature found them..."

Tanner could put two and two together as well as any of his command. He wasn't one of those leader-in-name-only types. The xenomorph and the woman had some sort of relationship, and if it felt that she was being threatened, it might go after whomever was perceived to be the threat. "Send your three best people to Ops, Sergeant. Make sure to report anything, even if it seems perfectly normal."

"Jordan, Christoph and Jenner, to Ops. Look for Spinelli and the girl. When you find them, report in."

All three soldiers checked their weapons and headed out to Ops.

When they arrived at Ops, Jordan checked the area, and finding no sign of anyone, reported in to Conrad. "Sergeant, no one is in Ops. In fact, it doesn't look like anyone has been here since we left."

Conrad cursed under his breath, his fear realized. "Ok, stay there for half an hour. Then call me. I'll tell you where we are, and you can catch up with us."

"Yes, sir." Turning to his companions, he dropped his pack and said, "Well, we wait here then. Hey, Jenner, got any coffee in that thermos of yours?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Annalise entered a large, now unrecognizable room. It could have been something from another world, and basically, that's what it was. This was the egg chamber, according to Sul'ss. She was about to meet the queen of the xenomorphs. She wasn't sure how she should act, but decided, as a human, not to show obeisance or fear. Ok, the latter would be difficult, but the physical strength she'd just exhibited gave her a bravado she hadn't felt before. The fact that she felt Sul'ss at her back helped her as well. Holding herself up straight, she walked up to where Sul'ss was now pointing.

Annalise's mouth fell open. There before them, stood a xenomorph, larger and more impressive than any of the other creatures. She stood at least twice as tall as Sul'ss. Her head fanned out behind her into a crest, adding to her overall formidable appearance. She had twin sets of arms, and a tail that seemed capable of being used as a whip. Strength and power radiated from her. As her eyes scanned this xenomorph ruler, Annalise spotted something attached to the queen. What is that? It looks like...an ovipositor, she thought, thinking of various insect queens she'd read about. As she watched, an egg was released from the end of the organic tubing. Disgust filled her as she saw this harbinger of death for any human placed upon the ground in a gooey casing. S'heth. How did she know that word and what it meant?

Annalise noted several smaller xenomorphs surrounding the queen. Her guards, no doubt. She waited while Sul'ss went up to the dominant figure, lowering his head in respect. Disjointed words entered her mind like whispers on a breeze, but she heard Sul'ss mentally calling to her. She approached slowly, reluctantly, until she was right next to him. His body exuded no warmth, but she drew strength from him nonetheless, and it gave her the courage she needed not to run away in panic. Be strong, girl, she told herself.

Facing the alien queen, Annalise gave the creature a slight nod of her head. It wouldn't hurt her to be polite, right? In her mind, she heard loud words.

So this is the kssss that enticed my child from his responsibilities to his brothers and sisters, and to me. Give me a reason not to kill you now, human.

Annalise inched closer to Sul'ss. She had to do something, say something, that would show the queen she was no threat, despite her relationship to her companion. She held onto Sul'ss' arm, pressing up against him.

Sensing her fear, the xenomorph encircled Annalise with his entire body, his head hovering over her protectively. Do not call her kssss, Mother. She is called Ahhhhnnleeessss.

She is not So'reth'esst. She is weak. Why do you align yourself with this human?

She...is my mate, Mother. She is my h'sta-ess.

Annalise looked at Sul'ss. "What?" Did she hear correctly? Thoughts heard inside one's head had to be as valid as spoken words. Turning to her guardian, she asked, "I'm your mate?"


	13. Chapter Thirteen

The xenomorph Queen sensed confusion coming from the human. She swung her great head toward Sul'ss, demanding to know how he, one of her most trusted warriors, and one of her first born, could allow this kssss to become as important to him as he was saying she was.

Your judgement has been clouded by physical need, child. She has only one purpose. To offer her life to me for the life of my s'heth. That is what all humans are for.

No, Mother. She is my h'sta-ess. I have taken her already, and shared my es'tset with her.

It was true that, as mother to the entire nest, she had not requested Sul'ss to give her his seed for the future generations that would follow. Her reasoning was sound, for once she mated with a male, she would have to banish him from the nest, his usefulness done. Often times, other nest members would seek out those males and kill them. But she had a special affection for Sul'ss. She hadn't wanted to send him away. Now it was he who had placed himself in the precarious position of being banished, or killed by his brethren.

Annalise stared at the xenomorph who had proclaimed himself to her, right in front of this creature, who could easily tear her apart without giving it much thought. Why had he chosen to endanger her? Turning to the male xenomorph, she questioned him. "Sul'ss, why did you tell the Mother that? It's not true. You don't have to lie to protect me from..." What she sensed coming from his mind gave her pause enough to stop. "Oh my god, you do feel that way, don't you?"

You are my h'sta-ess, my mate. I chose you from the moment I took you as mine. Do you turn away from me?

Annalise stood there, unsure how to respond. Surely this was insanity. She shut her eyes and lowered her head. What do I do now? How do I feel about this...this alien? She had to acknowledge he had saved her life, and once, they had even fought side-by-side for each other's lives, together.

Sul'ss reached out...

Annalise's eyes opened when she felt the gentle touch of the xenomorph.

The Queen distracted Annalise, her thoughts filling her mind. She faced the mother of all xenomorphs here, determined to be unafraid. The Colonial Marines were here after all. Soon they would find this place.

Hearing what the human was thinking, the Queen made her accusation. Your kind kill my children.

"Your kind started killing us first," Annalise protested. "You took my people, and turned them into some... obscene incubators.

I need others in order for my children to live.

The Queen took a few steps closer to Annalise until she was mere feet in front of her. Bending low, she hissed at the human.

And what of my child. You use him for your own survival.

"No, I do care about him." Annalise said it because she knew it was true. God in heaven, she knew it was true.

You have not proven your intent, ksss.

Annalise heard Sul'ss hiss angrily behind her. What had the Queen said that made him willing to risk berating her?

Prove to me you do not use my child to save your own pathetic existence.

Annalise thought about her feelings where Sul'ss was concerned. She did care, but as much as being his mate would require? She felt hands play with her hair and caress her shoulders. She leaned back against the hard body behind her. The shadow of his head hovered over her. She looked up, and let her hand trace his jawline. This alien, this...killer, was tender with her in a way she hadn't considered. Annalise didn't know if it was his musk or the perfect peace she had with him, but she began to feel a tingling. Was this an involuntary reaction to the way Sul'ss touched her? Was it the memory of their sexual encounters? Or was it hatred for the Queen, and her way to tell the bitch not to test her. She pressed herself back against Sul'ss even harder. She was conscious of the Queen seemingly looking their way, but she smiled, deciding she didn't care. If the Mother wanted proof of her feelings for her child, then she would show her, and without shyness.

She felt her guardian encircle her with his lean but powerful arms, as she moved deeper into Sul'ss embrace. She caressed his carapace, her cheek rubbing the side of his head. He seemed to purr as his arms encircled her, pulling her close to him. She looked over toward the Queen and smiled. He's mine, not yours, she thought, hoping her thoughts were heard.

Annalise didn't notice that several of the xenomorphs were surrounding the two, curious as to how this odd pair-match came about. It wouldn't have mattered if she had noticed the others. Already she was in the throes of sexual need. She spread her legs to allow Sul'ss easy access even though he was not yet ready to mate with her. He seemed to be enjoying the closeness, or maybe he just wanted to prove something to the Mother.

Sul'ss knew what his mate was doing, and he had no objection against it. The Mother's attitude and lack of respect to his h'sta-ess angered him. He would take his chosen right in front of her. He only just noticed the curiosity of his brothers and sisters, but their feelings were of no importance.

Sul'ss moved against Annalise, allowing her to feel his growing penis pressing against her. His hands caressed her, his clawed nails suddenly digging into the fabric of her outer skins. He pulled hard, ripping the shirt apart, letting the pieces fall from her. He then tore the pants off her body, exposing her flesh to open air.

Annalise gasped, as Sul'ss tore her clothing open. She didn't try to prevent the rended clothing from falling off her. She merely stepped away from the ripped pieces. Turning into his body, she snuggled her face into the spot where neck and head met, the flesh there being softer. She nibbled gently, careful not to break his skin. The purring grow louder, spurring her on. She licked along the lower jaw, moaning as she now realized she wanted Sul'ss more than anything else.

Human and xenomorph shared tactile pleasure while the others watched. Neither cared. Sul'ss let Annalise grasp his organ, purring as she squeezed and pulled lightly on it. She in turn moaned as he ran taloned hands over her hot flesh. Lying back on the bumpy floor, she opened her arms and legs, inviting him to move into her body. She saw his shadow as he hovered over her. Kneeling, he pushed himself into her wet warmth, then pulled her up to him as he gently rocked, each movement against her most sensitive spots giving Annalise pure pleasure. She wrapped her legs tightly around his lower body, crying out with each thrust.

The observing xenomorphs, along with their Queen, sensed the mating of their brother with the human female. Pheromones filled the air as the odd pair continued their coupling with greater intensity. Some of the males felt lust rearing inside their own bodies, as the females also sensed pleasure from the rutting pair. It made them wonder what being with Sul'ss would be like. But he had made it clear that the human was his h'sta-ess. Still, each questioned themselves if any of them could coax him away from the human female.

Annalise dug her nails into Sul'ss arms as she bucked against his increased thrusting. Crying out, she felt wave after wave pulse between her thighs. She felt Sul'ss begin to fill her with his semen, pumping repeatedly until he had exhausted himself. Annalise held him, reluctant to let him go just yet. It was this way human and xenomorph remained as the others drifted away, some to find their own mating partners.

The Queen knew now that what she was sensing was affection as well as desire, neither using the other for pleasure alone. She had to admit that this human cared about her child, in her own way, and if she could care about him, she might be persuaded to work for the protection of the nest. She called her guards to her, and gave them orders. She wanted to know with whom the human would side. Sensing Sul'ss and his female leaving the chamber, she decided she would know where the female stood. If she refused to fight with them against the other humans, she would be killed along with them.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The soldiers gathered in Ops with the small group already there. Conrad watched as Shipley and Baker searched the complex using infrared readers, as well as electromagnetic detectors and other sensors. So far, they came up empty.

Major Tanner was looking over Shipley's shoulder, frustrated but hardly discouraged. "Ok, we've used every sensor type we have and found nothing. Now, let's think outside the box. What else could hide an entire herd of those monsters?"

Conrad studied the schematics of the complex, searching for something they hadn't thought of. Xenomorphs didn't give off body heat, so that wouldn't help. But they did give off life readings. So, what would hide the life signs of over 200 xenomorphs? "Sir, what thing here gives off the largest sensor readings?"

Tanner thought a moment. "Of course...the generator."

Conrad said aloud what Tanner already knew. "They have to be hiding on a level below the generator, maybe two." Going over to the sensor screen, both men observed the constant pulse of heat emanating from the massive power source. Ordering the rest of the soldiers to attention, Major Tanner and Sergeant Conrad went over a battle plan that would take care of the aliens once and for all.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Sul'ss was wrapped around a naked Annalise when he woke up. He decided to find the backpack, and get her some outer skins to wear. He felt the female squirm as she started to awaken. Settling her to the side of the bedding area, he rose and left to find the backpack.

Annalise yawned as she stretched, opening her eyes to find herself alone. She stood, and saw Sul'ss loping into the small room he had brought her to, carrying the backpack. He handed it to her, and waited as she dug inside it for a t-shirt and pants. She quickly dressed, and brushed back her hair. She wished there was a shower here. Maybe later she would go hunt for one. For now, she wanted to talk with the Mother some more.

Several xenomorphs entered the room, and hissed something at Sul'ss. He turned to Annalise, letting her know that she was being called to the Mother now. They were being led to the egg chamber when, hearing a noise, Annalise turned to find herself staring at several Marines, pulse rifles pointed at her and the xenomorphs. A black figure ran at the soldiers, screeing loudly. "Nooooo," she cried and running forward, tried to stop whoever was attacking the band of human fighters. Just as she neared the xenomorph, a crack rang out in the chamber, as green liquid exploded from the alien's body. It splashed on Annalise, who fell to the floor, waiting for the inevitable pain she knew would come from the acid blood.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Annalise sat up, stunned when she realized she was feeling none of the expected pain from the splash of acidic blood. Her face, arms and chest were covered with it, yet only the clothing had suffered any damage. A cursory self-examination showed her skin was damage-free. A shadow fell over her, as Sul'ss rushed to her side. When he picked her up off the floor, she felt grateful that it wasn't he who had been shot. That had been her reason for dashing out into the fray as she had. She couldn't be sure who it was heading for the soldiers. She had never given it a thought that she might get shot.

Meanwhile, the Marines were busy fighting off the sudden flood of xenomorphs who were attacking at the orders of the Mother, when she sensed one of her children had been killed. The soldiers had to fall back in order to keep from being slaughtered. The arrival of so many aliens was a surprise, and the human fighters found themselves badly outnumbered and running low on ammo. While in the midst of combat, Shipley had called for the rest of the squads to assist them, having already lost 7 of his men. In desperation, the band of fighters retreated, the xenomorphs following close behind.

Annalise looked down in disgust to see her tattered shirt wet with xenomorph blood. She pulled the remains of stained fabric off, already lacking modesty where the aliens were concerned. They'd seen her openly having sexual relations with one of their kind, what difference would seeing her topless be? "Damn, at this rate, I'm going to need more clothes," she grumbled, as she grabbed the backpack and dug out another t-shirt. She wiped the blood off her face and chest with the disintegrated material, afterwards tossing it aside. She put on the fresh shirt, sighing at her current predicament.

Sul'ss waited while she pulled the outer skin over her head, then took hold of her arms and inspected them. He had seen the effect the blood of his kind had on things, including human flesh. Yet his mate had not been harmed by it at all.

So'reth'esst blood did not hurt you, Ahhhhnnleeessss.

"To hell with that! Come on!" Annalise ran after the aliens, who were chasing the Marines through the generator rooms. Her speed surprisingly increased until she had caught up with them. She cried out for the xenomorphs to stop. Something in her voice compelled them to heed her cry. En masse, they ceased to chase the retreating Marines, and turned back toward Annalise, who was accompanied by Sul'ss. "Do not go after them!" she ordered. Why she expected them to listen to her, wasn't even a consideration. But they heard and obeyed.

Sul'ss stood proudly beside his mate. He knew he was right. She was changing, growing stronger in several ways. They were communicating more clearly now, and most surprising of all, his brethren were giving her regard second only to the Mother. Perhaps the Mother had ordered this, perhaps not, but he would find out. For now, he hissed at his kin to return to the nest and await orders from their Queen.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The remaining squad members under Corporal Shipley met up with an arriving contigent of fellow Marines. In fact, all of them. Major Tanner had trained them on the old adage "one for all and all for one". In other words, if one yelled for backup, they all came running. But sayings aside, Shipley was glad to see them.

"What happened, Corporal?" Tanner asked while everyone else started giving immediate aid to anyone who needed it.

"Sir, it was totally unexpected. We saw a few of the bastards, but as soon as we started shooting, more came. They crawled out of the damn walls! They're fast, sir. Half the time, you don't even see them coming until it's too late. We lost Williams, Carney, Levinson, Miller, Bronson, Christoph, and...Maxwell."

"Jill," the major said as he bowed his head in grief. Jill Maxwell had been his personal recruit, a young woman who wanted to serve her planet, see space, and conquer her own fears of the unknown. She had succeeded, and had become one of his best soldiers. Now she was gone. "Ok, Shipley, get the men fixed up. We have a battle plan, so let's use it. No one squad goes in alone, got that? This time when we attack, everyone will be included. We may still be outnumbered, but we won't go down without a fight."

"Yes, sir!" As Corporal Shipley left to follow Tanner's order, Sergeant Conrad came up to the major.

"I heard from a few of the men, sir, that the women, that Anna Brevard stopped the aliens from further attack. And they listened to her. It seems she is in league with those monsters. Maybe if we capture her..."

"My thought exactly, Sergeant. See to the men, and rest them up. We move in 20 minutes."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Annalise wanted to clean up, and finding a pool of water from a broken water pipe, bent to wash some remaining alien blood from her arms and hands. She splashed the warm liquid over her face, and wrapped her arms around herself as she thought about the situation. Why had the xenomorphs obeyed her? She hadn't really expected them to, had she? Or maybe she did. Standing, she turned to Sul'ss. "Your English is improving. I understood you so much better."

Your So'reth'esst thoughts are also improving, h'sta-ess.

Annalise was smiling as she followed Sul'ss to the egg chamber. She had no idea what the Queen was going to say to her. This might be the last time she'd see the Colonial Marines, or be with Sul'ss. She could very well be dead soon.

Sul'ss walked beside Annalise as they went before the Mother. The xenomorph queen was aware of the attack, and the deaths of several of her children. Her grief was palpable to Annalise, who was understanding the aliens more easily now. But she also knew there were several human bodies in the outer chamber as well. Both sides had experienced casualties, and the fighting had to stop.

Entering the chamber, Annalise saw the Mother still laying eggs, something that bothered her, knowing the only potential hosts were the Marines...and herself. She went to stand before the giant xenomorph, her constant companion still constant. She leaned against him for support.

The human fighters tried to enter the chamber, but they were no match for my warriors.

Sul'ss stepped forward. Why did the warriors listen to Ahhhhnnleeessss?

The Queen didn't answer right away. She swung her great head at the human female standing next to her child. She is the cause. She is becoming more like So'reth'esst. I will accept her into the nest, but she must prove herself against the human soldiers.

Annalise laughed in disbelief. "I can hear you in my mind, but...what did you say? You expect me to turn against my own people?" Holding out her hands, which she fisted in frustration as they fell to her side, she said firmly, "No way I'm going to betray them for you, not even if you kill me for it." Sensing something coming from the Queen, she continued. "But you won't, will you."

In response, the Queen hissed at the xenomorphs in the chamber, and all left one by one. Sul'ss refused to budge however.

I will not harm her, child. Go.

Sul'ss was about to leave, when Annalise embraced him, unsure as to what would happen when it was just she and the Mother left, alone together.

Sul'ss offered his comfort, purring low in his throat as his mate's arms wound around his body. Trust, was all he thought to her. Then he, too, left the chamber.

The Queen had ceased laying eggs, now wanting to focus on the human standing so defiantly in front of her. Being a creature of some intelligence, she didn't want to destory the female unless doing so would benefit the nest in some way. In fact, it seemed to be the opposite truth, that letting her live would be the best course of action. As Sul'ss had chosen a new way, perhaps it would be better to work with him and his new mate to find a way to keep her nest and her children safe.

Annalise, on the other hand, felt she was in a showdown, staring at the xenomorph queen like one of two outlaws facing each other down, to see who would dominate the town. It always came down to the same thing. The Queen and her children were strong, but the humans were smarter. She knew the xenomorphs were not dumb animals, that they had intelligence, feelings and an order to their lives. But in the end, Annalise felt sure the Marines would be the victors in an all out war. Maybe it was compassion, maybe it was her feelings for Sul'ss, maybe it was due to the changes in her system, but she found she didn't want to see the nest destroyed. "Ok, Mother, let's talk about this."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The injured Marines were patched up, weapons checked and loaded. Everyone was itching for a fight to avenge their fallen comrades against the monsters who had killed them. First, they would try and capture the woman and use her as bait. If she were siding with the aliens, they would come to rescue her. Then the battle would begin. Until every last xenomorph was dead or they were, the Marines swore to keep on fighting. If they were successful, their next objective would be the queen bitch. And if the woman got in the way, she would go the way of the monsters she had aligned herself with.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Annalise sat at the Mother's feet, trying to digest everything she'd just been told. She sensed the Queen was done with her, feeling summarily dismissed as the egg laying resumed. Standing, Annalise gave the large xenomorph a slight nod of her head before leaving the egg chamber. Exiting through the open doors, she almost bumped right into Sul'ss, who must have been waiting for her all this time. She looked up at him, wishing he had eyes. She desperately needed to connect with him in a more human way.

Sul'ss knew that the information given his mate would be more than she might understand at the time, but he felt sure she would be able to accept it. Reaching out with a bony hand, he shared his thoughts with her. Come, h'sta-ess. Rest with me. When he sensed she was following him, he led her to a section of the made-over rooms where he knew they would be alone. He crouched on the floor, with her sitting next to him, leaning back against the wall.

"Is everything she told me, true?"

The xenomorph nodded slowly. The Mother does not impart falsehoods. Her life, her history, she has shared with you.

Annalise smiled. "Then there's hope. Sul'ss, we have to find the Marines. I have to talk with the major."

No! They will take you from me, and then they will kill us. Sul'ss wasn't ready to face the other humans, not, at least, until the Mother made her wishes known. He wanted to convince his mate that her place was here with him, and that if she attempted to speak with the human soldiers, she would be parted from him by force. Gathering her into his embrace, he wound his tail protectively around them both. He tasted her scent in the air, as he felt her warmth against him.

Annalise snuggled closer to her alien lover, her mind filled with pictures from her "conversation" with the Mother. If she could get to the soldiers and talk things over with the major, perhaps she could prevent both sides from engaging in an inevitable bloodbath.

Closing her eyes, Annalise decided to take this one moment of peace, and not think of the dead colonists, or her near rape and subsequent death of the Marine at Sul'ss hands, or the soldiers readying to attack the nest. She would only think of this time with Sul'ss, enjoying his touches as he gently explored her hair and skin. He seemed fascinated with the differences between her body and his. She also touched him, noting the hardness of his exoskeleton, the lack of body heat, and the fact that his blood was poison to her kind. Yet, she had not been harmed by xenomorph blood. She felt a chill move through her as she snuggled closer to Sul'ss. What was happening to her? Although the Mother had explained much about her presence here on the planet, she had not mentioned anything about the changes to Annalise. But she felt the xenomorph Queen knew.

H'sta-ess, why are you troubled? Sul'ss sensed his mate was worried about the changes in her body. He had hoped the Mother would have revealed something that would soothe his female, and answer her questions. But the Mother's thoughts had been only for her, so he didn't know what had been imparted.

Annalise sighed. She had no way to tell Sul'ss everything that she had been thinking about, nor did she want to share her fears. When the lives of his brethren hung in the balance, her fears seemed petty. She was stronger now, impervious to the acidic alien blood, and could communicate with the aliens. There was no reason for her to worry about herself. "I'm fine, Sul'ss. I'm worried about the soldiers."

Do not worry, Ahhhhnnleeessss. The Mother will be prepared. She will guide us. Holding his mate close, Sul'ss drifted off to sleep.

Annalise closed her eyes once more, letting the low purr of her mate lull her to sleep too. By the time the sound had stopped, she was already out.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Something roused Annalise from a deep sleep. It was a sound that carried down the corridors, but it wasn't what she expected. Sul'ss stood, his senses on alert. Annalise rose, and, together, they faced the direction of the noise. They both knew what it was. Despite their apparent attempt to be quiet, it was clear the soldiers were coming.

Sul'ss turned to call his brothers and sisters, but Annalise grabbed his arm, and silenced him. "Wait! If they wanted to attack, they'd have been here by now. For some reason, they're playing it stealthily." Annalise headed slowly out into the corridor. Her sharp ears detected the direction the noises were coming from. With Sul'ss close behind, she quietly went in search of the soldiers. It didn't take her long to find them.

Major Tanner was leading his men toward the area where sensors had picked up the many lifeforms they knew to be the aliens, since as far as they knew, all the colonists, except for Annalise Brevard, were dead. "No shooting unless I or Sergeant Conrad give the order. We need to capture our prisoner alive."

"What if she's with aliens, sir?" one of the soldiers asked.

"As long as no one hits the human, don't worry about whether or not you hit any alien. We have a mission. Do not let anything get in the way of that objective." Hearing several 'yes, sir's, Major Tanner continued onward.

Seeing the Marines further in the distance, Annalise and Sul'ss stopped. Noticing the heavy armament of the group didn't give either any sense that they wanted to make peace. Just as the pair started to go in the direction they'd come, the soldiers spotted them. Tanner waved four off toward the retreating xenomorph and human, his orders fresh in their minds.

Sul'ss adopted a defensive stance, keeping Annalise behind him. But Annalise knew they were't out to capture the alien but to kill him, and she didn't want Sul'ss to become a sitting target. She none-too-gently shoved him aside, and telling him to go back to his brothers for help, she stood waiting.

Sul'ss hissed in response. I must protect you, h'sta-ess.

"They may let me live, but they'll kill you. Now, go!"

Sul'ss wasn't taking orders from his female. He grabbed her by the waist, and hauled her partly over his shoulder, as he hissed a warning to the soldiers. Baring his teeth, he was ready to spit venom at them, as his tail waved over his back, the barb at its tip ready to pierce even the protective armour worn by the humans.

Annalise struggled, demanding to be put down, but her guardian wasn't listening. She closed her eyes, and willed her thoughts to the other xenomorphs. Help us, she thought. The human soldiers are attacking. Protect the nest.

Annalise heard several rounds being fired over their heads. They weren't trying to kill them, but why. A canister dropped at their feet, sending smoke into the air. Annalise coughed as she inadvertently inhaled the smoke. She suddenly felt very woozy, her vision fading in and out as she heard more gun fire. She felt herself being dropped to the floor, as she saw Sul'ss fall. Had he been shot? She tried to reach out to him, but was too weak. "Sul...Sulssss...please don't die..." She saw booted feet near her head, before darkness took her.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Talking. Can't move. Pain in my head. Who's there? Disjointed thoughts filled her mind as she tried to wake up, tried to open her eyes. Her head was killing her, a migraine making her feel almost nauseous.

"You awake? I didn't think the gas would hit you so far. My apologies," a distant voice said.

"Ohhhh, I feel sick." Annalise managed to open her eyes, so see Major Tanner kneeling next to her. She was lying on a small bed, tied up and unable to move. She didn't bother to even struggle against her bonds. "Where is he? Where is Sul'ss?"

"The aliens started coming, so we came back here. No need to get involved in a fight just yet. We have you, so the fighting can wait, for now.

"I don't understand. Why do you want me?" Annalise willed the pain in her head to go away. She breathed in deeply, trying to cleanse her lungs of the noxious gas.

"You seem to be in league with these murdering creatures. I want to know why, and what their plans are. If they intend to take over any of the other colonies, we're here to stop that." Tanner debated whether to untie the prisoner as he spoke with her.

"I don't know what their plans were originally, Major, but I've learned something that may make killing the xenomorphs unnecessary. If I can play the go-between here, all the better. I can communicate with them, translate for you what you want to say. That is, if you don't mind putting off the slaughter."

Major Tanner was a soldier, but during his years of service, he discovered that sometimes peaceful methods were the best. He would fight if he had to, but if there were another way, he was not averse to creating a truce. That would depend on the creatures, and of course, his own soldiers. Still, he was in charge. "What do you have in mind, Ms Brevard?"

"Annalise, please, Major." She reached out with her thoughts. Sul'ss, where are you? There was no response. "And would you mind untying me? I won't run, I promise."

Slipping a knife from his belt, he cut the binders from her wrists, letting her sit up on the cot. Putting the knife away, he asked her, "Ok, Annalise, so what happened to Private Spinelli?"

How was she going to tell him the truth so he would believe it? "He's...he's dead."

Several soldiers overheard the question asked and the answer given, and moved closer.

"How?" Tanner demanded.

"Sul'ss, the xenomorph who's been with me, he killed him."

"What the fuck! We have to find him, and kill him!" Several angry ascents filled the air.

Annalise didn't know if Sul'ss was dead already, but continued, wanting to defend the action her protector had been forced to make. With a firm, unwavering voice, she said, "Private Spinelli tried to rape me, on the way to Ops."

Tanner couldn't believe that any soldier under his command would do such a thing, but he let the woman continue. Other of his troops objected on Spinelli's behalf, and the major took that into account. Still, he ordered, "Hold it down. Let her go on."

"Spinelli started saying things, Major, about me and the xenomorph. It got pretty ugly. He pulled me into an empty room and started to...take privileges he had no right to. Sul'ss heard him, and grabbed him. I tried to stop him from killing the private, but he was enraged." Looking up at Tanner, she said, "They do have feelings. They're not just animals. Sul'ss has been protecting me since he found me. His rage at what Spinelli was doing caused him to kill the private. Frankly, had I a weapon, I might have done the job myself."

"Why would Private Spinelli try to rape you, anyway, Ms Brevard? What did he say to you?"

Dare she reveal the whole truth? What if these other soldiers had the same reaction as the private. "He accused me of consorting sexually with the xenomorph. He said...if I could do that with 'that damn creature', as he called him, I could do it with him. He tried to force me to have sex with him, before Sul'ss pulled the bastard off me."

Major Tanner ran a hand through his hair. He pictured the woman with the alien, and his mind couldn't accept what he saw. "Is it true?"

Everyone waited for an answer to that question.

Annalise scanned the room, meeting pair after pair of eyes. Defiantly, she replied, "Yes, it's true."

There were gasps of disbelief, as Annalise defended Sul'ss. "I thought Colonial Marines were to protect the thousands of colonists who've gone out into space, terraforming new worlds. Instead, if you don't agree with something, you're as much a threat as anything else out here. Is that what being in the service is about, Major?"

Tanner felt embarrassment over the actions of someone under his command. Spinelli had been a good soldier, but maybe the idea of inter-species sex was repugnant enough to him, that he lost his cool when he was alone with Ms Brevard. "Annalise, I'm sorry. You're right. We should have been protecting you. But it seems you've done well enough on your own. You've been amongst the aliens, and you're still alive."

Wanting to speak with the major alone, she asked, "I have some information that you may wish to use. Can we talk somewhere?"

Conrad looked at Tanner, shaking his head. He didn't like the idea of his commander being alone with the unknown quantity in the form of Ms Brevard.

Tanner thought for a moment, then nodded. "Come with me, Annalise. Sergeant, let the men be at ease until my return. We'll decide what to do after I've heard what Ms Brevard has to say."

"Yes, sir." Turning to the troops who had been shifting uncomfortably, he ordered, "You heard the major. Get some rest. We may need it."


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Major Tanner, with Annalise in tow, found a more private room to discuss their situation. As soon as he and Annalise entered the room, he shut the door and pointed his plasma rifle at her. "Ok, Ms Brevard, you're going to tell me everything you know. I don't for one moment believe that any human woman would be so...acquiescent. You're not a traitor. What are you?"

Annalise stared down at the rifle. "I'm someone who prefers a peaceful conclusion to all this, Major. So...are you planning to shoot me?"

"I should," he said, lowering the rifle a few inches. "But I'm curious enough to want to hear what you have to say. I've been from one end of known space to the other. It may disgust me, but I suppose, some day, inter-species relationships will be a possibility."

Reaching out with lightning speed, Annalise grabbed the major's weapon, and tossed it far across the room. "Don't ever point a gun at me again, Major Tanner. Now, are you ready to listen?"

Tanner debated whether to jump for his rifle, or let the woman have her say, but being a sensible man, he merely threw up his hands, and indicated for his companion to sit on a nearby storage box. Taking a spot opposite her, he spoke, "So, what do you know, Ms Brevard?"

Annalise laughed ruefully. "Look, I joined the terraforming agency to see space, and maybe discover some new things. Because of what happened here, I was put into a life or death situation. I had to find a way to survive, and I had help from something, someone, who's taken pretty good care of me. It was his choice. Would you, if you'd been in my shoes, turn against the thing that gave you aid? We humans haven't always been successful in living with each other peacefully. I don't blame you, Major, for not understanding how I was able to find a rapport with a xenomorph. If surviving makes me a traitor, then I'm guilty. I had to place myself in the hands, if you will, of something different from myself."

"But with creatures that killed your entire colony?"

Annalise looked around the room, and bit her lower lip. "He didn't hurt me, none of them have. In fact, their Queen is very different from what I might have expected. I happen to know why, if you care for an answer."

"What do you mean?"

"When we first found these egg-like things, I began to look for files of similar occurrences. Just out of curiosity. There was another colony that was also massacred, no survivors. And there have been some ships, derelicts, that were found with their crews dead."

"I'm familiar with some of those reports too. So?"

"Xenomorphs don't have the capability of building their own ships. They pretty much rely on a mode of transportation that could be compared to...hitchhiking. A ship crashed here some time ago. A Queen and two warriors survived. They found shelter in a cave, where they bred. As is her habit, she banished the males, who later died. The Mother, as she is called, had laid eggs within this cave, which we found. Several were brought back to the complex for study." Annalise clenched her hands. "That was when it all began. As more of us were cocooned, more of the xenomorphs were born. The Queen was brought here, where she transformed whole sections of the complex into her nurseries. You destroyed one of them."

"Yet, through all of this, you survived." Tanner wondered how someone without military training could manage as she had.

"I was lucky. I hid most of the time, keeping ahead of their trackers. I spent time in abandoned quarters, eating what I could find. As long as the power was active, I could find food and water. I almost lost it, though, when I knocked myself unconscious, and was found by one of the aliens. Only he...didn't kill me."

Tanner was becoming impatient, preferring straight facts. "Alright, so you survived with the help of this creature, had sexual relations with it..."

Annalise stood, determined to get things back on track. She had no intentions of discussing her relationship with Sul'ss. "Major Tanner, the Mother is not as blood-thirsty as I thought. She shared with me, how she came to this planet."

The major was still curious, even if this a time waster. But perhaps there would be information he could use. "So you said the Queen arrived here on a crashed ship. Was it one of ours?"

Annalise laughed. "Nooo, no, it was another alien lifeform. They were called the Da'leen. The Mother said they were a peaceful race, highly advanced, intensely curious. But that only got them killed. They found eggs on a derelict ship, and brought them on board their own. One of the eggs contained a s'heth..."

"S'heth?"

"The creature that starts the whole life chain. Within the s'heth are the embryos that grow into the xenomorphs. Anyway, this s'heth implanted a Queen into one the Da'leen. Once she was grown, she mated with a few males, eventually taking over the entire ship. But a xenomorph can't fly. They're not stupid, major. The learn very quickly by observation. But flying a ship was a little too complex for them. The ship crashed here. Much later, we arrived. The Queen is the leader of her children, her nest." Annalise took a deep breath. She suddenly felt very thirsty, but she couldn't taste any water in the air.

"So this Queen had to wait to be found by the colonists, brought here to continue breeding, is that it?"

Annalise nodded. "She has over 200 children now, with more waiting to be born, unless we can convince her not to take you and your people."

"Why don't I just order the entire nest destroyed?"

She stopped walking, and directed her gaze at the major. "Because the Mother has personality traits of the Da'leen in her genetic makeup. Don't you see? She reached out to me, even if part of her is ready to order your deaths so that her children can live."

"What do you have in mind?"

"A way for her children to live, by artificial means. If we could discover some way to bring them into the world, moving from s'heth to full grown xenomorph, without the need for human hosts."

Major Tanner remembered something he had heard before he had received his official orders for this mission. "There was talk, however unbelievable, that some sort of creature had been discovered that might be the perfect weapon."

"Weapon. What sort of weapon?"

"Bio-mechanical. Don't you see? It all fits. Your xenomorphs are what the military's looking for."

"The military?"

"Ok, Weyland-Yutani. I don't know much. No one confides in a lowly major, but I have the feeling something is going down, and it's more than just a bug hunt. Your xenomorphs, if properly trained, would serve Weyland-Yutani, or the military, take your pick."

"So my idea to create artificial breeders would be the worst idea to propose. It would be creating the potential for slavery, not to mention the possibility of bad things happening if the xenomorphs didn't agree to be "trained".

Tanner nodded. "I had a tickling at the back of my mind, call it a commander's instinct, that my unit might have been infiltrated by a mole."

"A spy for Weyland-Yutani? Do you know who it is?" Annalise sat down

"No. Everyone has performed as well as I expect of them. Ms Brevard, how do you know I'm not the mole?"

Staring him in the eyes as she attempted to detect deceit, Annalise replied, "Because I imagine it to be someone out of the limelight. You're too much a leader. It's got to be someone agreeable, who never makes waves, the perfect soldier. Is there anyone like that in your command?"

Tanner rubbed his neck as he thought. "Two or three, yeah." His mind went back to the undiscussed issue he had strong feelings about. "You know, I don't approve of inter-species matings. Even if we do meet a planet of sentient beings and end up opening an embassy on Earth, I will never think sex between different species as acceptable."

"Major, at one time, I might have said the same thing. But ideas change. People...change. Xenomorphs may have a hive mentality, and they obey their Queen in all things. But they are sentient, they have feelings. And no, I don't see us getting married, buying a house on Mars, and raising a passel of little xenomorphs. I honestly don't know what will happen. I guess I'm just not thinking that far ahead."

Major Tanner stood, and going over to the other side of the room, retrieved his rifle. "You have a good arm there, quick reflexes too."

"It seems to come with the territory. My senses have improved. I'm stronger and faster. Don't ask me why though."

"A regular bionic soldier."

Annalise laughed again. It felt good to laugh. "Maybe so. Well, Major, if you're amenable to a truce, I think I can talk with the Queen. It would be far preferable than having your troops turned into breeder hosts."

"Ok, Ms Brevard, you go to the Queen. I'll get back to my troops. Hopefully, we can work this out for all concerned."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Sul'ss felt someone touching him, examining him for injuries. It was not Annalise. It was one of his much younger sisters who had found him. Where was Annalise? He reached out to her with his thoughts, but only sensed emptiness. She must be too far away.

The female xenomorph informed Sul'ss that the Mother needed his presence immediately. Together, they returned to the egg chamber. Once there, Sul'ss stood before the Mother as she addressed her once favourite.

Where is your h'sta-ess?

The humans have taken her. I must find her.

We need the humans here, child. Bring them. The s'heth are ready.

Sul'ss was more concerned about Annalise, but he would do as the Mother ordered, and lure the human soldiers to the egg chamber. He would also be searching for his mate amongst them, if they hadn't harmed her. And if they had, he would find greater satisfaction in their deaths as they became hosts for the s'heth.

Taking point, the xenomorph led a large group of his brothers and sisters to the area he had last seen the humans. From there, he hoped to find a connection with Annalise's thoughts. His hands flexed in anticipation as he and the other xenomorphs headed off to bring back the soldiers for cocooning. Their numbers would grow even more. This was, after all, their destiny.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Can you imagine having one of those bastards fuck you?" Private Helen Carter asked the other women in the outfit?

"Hell, no! That's just sick."

"You gals will sleep with anything if it doesn't ask you to give it a blowjob first." The male soldiers were just as disgusted by the thought of Annalise having sex with an alien, but they preferred to make jokes.

"Man spunk is bad enough, but alien spunk..."

Several of the women soldiers wondered what a xenomorph penis even looked like. They hadn't seen any on the few they'd run into. Curiosity filled their minds, until one of the men spoke up.

"Look, no alien is ever going to be the love machine you women want. We men will always satisfy." Several of the other men agreed out loud, laughing.

One soldier spoke up. "Well, it was still wrong of Spinelli to attack that girl, even if his reason was understandable. The guy probably just lost it."

Several of the soldiers nodded in agreement. But if it ever came down to an alien or one of their own, there would be no question whom they would back up. They'd sworn loyalty to the major, the company and each other long ago. Nothing would break that.

The ribald behavior continued, as off to the side, a lone soldier, pretended to clean his rifle. He merely listened to the others as they joked and teased each other. He never involved himself with them. He had other things on his mind, understandable, since he had been given another mission. All he had to do was wait.


	17. Chapteen Seventeen

Sul'ss led his brothers, following through multiple corridors by memory, while some of the xenomorphs preferred traveling through the air ducts circumnavigating the colony complex. Sul'ss and the older Primes communicated mentally with the xenomorph army moving closer to the soldiers' retreat. He gave warnings to the subordinate members of his nest, until something stopped him. Thoughts echoed in his mind, thoughts that were not his own. I have to warn them. Oh god oh god, let him be wrong. Sul'ss knew whose thoughts these were. H'sta-ess! He instructed the next highest in ranking where to take the others. He ordered them to attack the soldiers, and return them to the egg chamber. They were then to begin cocooning all of the humans. He would go find Annalise, and bring her back to the Mother after the work had been completed. He didn't want his human mate to know what would be happening, and the orders of the Mother would always supersede his own feelings.

Unknown to Sul'ss, Annalise was already heading back to the nest. She wanted to tell the Queen what she had learned from Major Tanner, but she wasn't sure if she should even mention his theory regarding a mole hiding within his troops. It might compel the Mother to order an attack.

Annalise saw a xenomorph coming her way. Good, now she could get news to the Mother. As she neared the xenomorph, it screed loudly and ran at her. Annalise panicked. Had the Queen ordered her death? Was this a rogue who felt the human was a danger to the nest? Annalise started to turn and run in the opposite direction, when she felt skeletal hands grab her, pulling her to the floor. She kicked her legs furiously as she fought the creature trying to pin her down, when she saw the scar. He was alive! "Sul'ss!" She threw her arms around him. "You didn't die, Sul'ss, you're ok!" She found herself entangled within arms and a tail. "Why didn't you tell me it was you?"

No chance to tell. You are well, h'sta-ess?

Squeezing ahold of the xenomorph, Annalise answered, "Yes, I'm fine, but the soldiers..."

Sul'ss responded to the revelation of seeing Annalise alive and unharmed by the humans the only way he knew, and even that was involuntary. He wanted to mate with her.

Annalise felt his arousal poking at her. Twisting from one side to the other, not realizing she was only making it worse for him, Annalise cried out, "No, Sul'ss! There's no time! We have to get back to meet with the human soldiers." God help her, she wanted him too, but aside from a quickie, which she didn't even know if such a thing was known to xenomorphs, there really was no time. She felt his fingers scratching her back the way she liked. Moaning in both pleasure and with regret, she pulled back from her alien lover. "There really is no time, so please stop torturing me."

Sul'ss understood, and also with regret, he helped Annalise stand. His arousal returned to its neutral state as he held his mate in his arms. He knew she was right, that saving the nest was more important. If the soldiers are coming, we will meet them before they reach the nest. The Mother has ordered their cocooning.

"No, we can't let that can't happen! Major Tanner is a reasonable man. He wants to talk with the Mother. Will she meet with him?"

Sul'ss sent out his thoughts to the Mother. The response he received was confused, but final. Yes, she will meet with the leader of the human soldiers. Ahhhhnnleeessss, come. We must stop the others.

Annalise sighed in relief. As long as they could reach the Marines before the other xenomorphs did, peace might still be possible. Sul'ss grabbed her hand and led her in the direction he had sent his brethren. Human and xenomorph raced off together to stop a small war.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Tanner returned to the room where his unit was. As expected, Conrad had them ready and waiting. "All right, we have a task at hand, men. I spoke with Ms Brevard, and she is going to make it possible for us to meet the xenomorph Queen."

"What? We aren't attacking them, Major?" Conrad asked.

"No, Sergeant. We're going to negotiate with them." Leaving the room with his unit walking behind him, a few grumbling aloud, Tanner led them down the corridor, expecting to meet up with Ms Brevard before heading for the aliens' nest. He was oddly nervous, unsure if this was the biggest mistake he could choose to make. No, if the aliens were intelligent, they would understand that, for their own good, they needed to agree to a peaceful resolution.

It wasn't long before a breathless Annalise ran into the Marines, her alien 'friend' with her. "Is everything ok, Ms Brevard?" Tanner asked.

"Not exactly, Major. We have to hurry. The Queen sent her warriors out to capture you all."

"But you said..."

Annalise glanced at the many pairs of eyes staring at her. Looking back at the major, she said, "Sul'ss is going to take care of that. He'll ask the Queen to recall the xenomorphs back to the nest. In the meantime, let's go. If we run into any of them, we should still be ok. They...listen to me. Come on!" Giving Sul'ss a final farewell, she and the major led the Colonial Marines to the alien nest to meet with the Queen.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

As they neared the nest, the Marines noticed the change in the floors, walls and ceilings. They were now covered in the same hard, black crust they seen before. The air became thick with humidity. Tanner ordered everyone to shoulder their rifles before Annalise took them into the egg chamber. Looking up at the massive Queen, Tanner realized he was doing something he had never expected would happen. He was standing before the mother of all xenomorphs, and was still breathing.

Annalise gave the Queen a slight nod of her head. "This is the leader of the human soldiers, Mother. He is called Tanner."

The Queen hissed, her arms waving. She saw her children enter the chamber, followed by Sul'ss. For the first time in her existence, she was in the same room as her mortal enemies. She would lay down the ground rules, but if what Ahhhhnnleeessss had said was true, the human Tanner would not rush to kill her children.

"The Mother welcomes you, Major Tanner. She is curious, but cautious. Be sure to make no sudden moves," she said, looking at the Marines gathered about the room.

"Does she understand that her kind must kill to survive? If your proposal is accepted, I promise we will see what we can do to ensure the survival of her kind, without the need for the aliens to kill humans."

The Queen hissed, gesturing again. Tanner waited for Annalise's translation, ready with his offer, if he could get the military brass to listen.

"It's agreed that if she were to try to defend what is hers, she and her children would die. If this colony complex were given over to them, they would not attack any of the neighboring colonies. I've explained my idea of using some sort of artificial means for the eggs to breed their embryos, and she is amenable to this."

Shots suddenly rang out, echoing throughout the chamber. Humans and xenomorphs both scattered, until the source of the gun fire could be found. They soon saw where it had come from. One of the Colonial Marines lay on the floor, a gaping wound in his chest made from the tail tip of a xenomorph. In his death throes, his finger had tightened on the trigger of his rifle, the weapon firing until it was out of ammunition.

The soldiers brought up their weapons until Tanner held up his hand. He, Sergeant Conrad and Annalise went over to the corpse. "Why did the alien kill Private Jordan? I thought we were here to make peace!" Tanner demanded angrily.

The offending xenomorph told the now angry Queen this man had pulled his weapon, and was preparing to fire, but at whom, she didn't know. Her strong desire to protect the Mother and her siblings forced her to kill the human without thinking of ramifications.

The Queen imparted this information to Annalise. Sul'ss confirmed the human's act of betrayal. The fact that the private's finger had been on the trigger of his weapon seemed compelling evidence. The order was for all weapons to be shouldered, and Private Jordan had obviously disobeyed that order.

Sul'ss moved quickly to his mate's side, ready to kill for her as well.

Tanner knelt beside the dead man, his hand touching the wound. He brought his hand back, now covered with a milky substance. The mole had been found. It had been Jordan all along.

The other Marines, along with many of the xenomorphs, gathered around the body. "Son of a bitch!" one startled Marine exclaimed. "He was an android!"

While everyone's gaze was drawn to the same spot, one soldier moved a bit away from the others. She removed something from her backpack, and inched her way to a spot next to the Queen.

"I would appreciate it if everyone remained very still." Everyone in the chamber turned to see Private Jenner holding a core bomb.

Several soldiers aimed their rifles at her, before Tanner stopped them. "Don't shoot!" he said, knowing a core bomb would incinerate everything in the room within minutes.

"How about I use an old-fashioned pistol then." Corporal Shipley was pointing a gun at Jenner, ready to shoot, but lowered the weapon slowly when he saw the major give him a curt shake of his head.

"Put the gun down! Core bombs are impact devices, too, Shipley. She drops it, it goes off." Tanner held up his hands as he started to approach Jenner. "Private, put that down. You do realize the damage you could do with that. You'd be killing all of us."

"Yes, Major, I know." Glancing over at the Queen, she said, "She knows it too, and I think she'll do anything to protect her eggs and her children."

"So why, soldier? Why are you doing this? You're just being foolish, endangering your unit this way. Give me the bomb, now. That's an order!"

"I'm sorry, Major, but I don't follow your orders." Seeing her fellow soldiers glance at each other in confusion, she said, "Nothing personal, guys, it's just a job I have to do." Several would have pulled a gun on the traitorous Marine, but they knew not to unless Major Tanner or Sergeant Conrad gave the order. They watched silently as the Major tried to talk the private out of fulfilling her unknown plan.

Tanner actually knew the answer to his next question before he asked it. "Who do you work for, Private?"

"Would it surprise you to learn that Weyland-Yutani funded this mission, Major?"

"What? But then...he was an android, working for the company?" Annalise wanted to know, pointing at the inhuman corpse.

"In recent missions, we found one of us wasn't enough to complete the job. Now we travel in pairs. And if she wants her nest to remain intact, she'll let me take a few eggs home for study." Looking up at the Queen, she shouted out, "Isn't that right, Mommy? Just a few of your unborn eggs in exchange for the rest of your children, and the lives of these humans. It's fair, isn't it?" She moved closer to the large female xenomorph while keeping an eye on both the soldiers and the angrily hissing xenomorphs. "Just a few eggs to study, raise and train...the beginning of our army."

"You're a...an android?" Conrad asked disbelieving.

Glaring at the sergeant, Jenner replied, "We prefer the term 'artificial person'. But semantics aside, yes, I am an android."

"That's not possible! When you enlisted, I saw your records. You're very human."

Jenner smiled a fake smile. "The real Sylvia Jenner was human. I've replaced her. I'm sorry, Sergeant Conrad," she said, the implication being the real Jenner was dead.

This angered everyone in the unit, but the bomb being held in Jenner's hand kept them from doing what they wanted to do. Kill the murderous traitor.

"I know what you want, but you all will have to be patient. I just need to transport a few of these eggs."

"And how do you propose to get them off planet? Not like we'll help you, bitch," Private Marsters piped up.

"I have a ship waiting on the other side of the planet. Now no more explanations. Your Majesty," she began sarcastically, "do I have your...cooperation?

The Queen hissed in anger, but she knew the non-human soldier was correct. The well-being of all her children was important, but if a few had to be sacrificed to keep most alive, she might have no choice.

No, Mother, don't give in. Sul'ss spoke mentally to the Queen, but Annalise heard his thoughts as well. Before she could stop him, Sul'ss reached out with sharp talons, and launched himself at the non-human holding the weapon.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

The sound of a ship approaching the complex thundered overheard. Everyone looked up at the ceiling as the rumbling made the building vibrate slightly.\

"What the fuck?" one of the Marines cried out, as he pointed his rifle up toward the sound.

Sul'ss stopped in his advance toward the android as he, too, heard the ship. He moved toward Annalise, and waited protectively.

"Well, well, I think my ride is here," the artificial Jenner remarked, her eyes glancing warily at the xenomorph who had started towards her. Turning her attention back to the larger female, she said, "Now, mother, will you hand over some of your eggs willingly, or do I have to kill everyone here?"

"Aren't you afraid of destroying the very things you came for, Private?" Tanner asked, emphasizing the 'private' with sarcasm.

"I'll take a chance a few would survive. Are you willing to take the same chance with your men, sir?" Jenner asked, stressing the 'sir' with equal sarcasm.

The Queen watched as her favourite child had attempted to prevent the non-human soldier from harming his siblings and the humans, including his h'sta-ess. With anger and sorrow forcing her next decision, the Mother quickly 'spoke' to Sul'ss, telling him what he must do to save all here. He lowered his head in acceptance, although he, too, was filled with sorrow. There was no choice. In sacrifice, there would be life for all the xenomorphs.

Sending thoughts to the human who was now a part of her family, the Mother gave Annalise one final command. She heard the human's abrupt refusal, but again imparted the need for a new directive. Satisfied with the acceptance she now sensed, the Queen detached herself from the restraint of the ovipositor with a popping sound , and with a cry that sent shivers through the bodies of everyone within earshot, she threw herself at the android, who could not react as fast as the angry xenomorph. The weight of the alien body fell upon the surprised simulacrum, crushing her. The core bomb went off, but was smothered by the body of the large xenomorph. Some of the acidic blood splashed outward as body parts were blown off, but the humans avoided it for the most part. Private Marsters had to remove his now smoking flack jacket, but the material inside prevented any harm to his flesh.

Major Tanner and the rest of his unit surrounded the body of the Queen, her children also gathered around their lost Mother. She had given her life to save everyone in the room, human and xenomorph. "Alright, people, let's make sure those bastards out there are locked up tight. At least their scout is taken care of," he said, referring to the inactive android.

Annalise walked over to the major quickly, saying, "The Mother wanted her children to join the fight, Major Tanner. It's their freedom at stake here, too."

Tanner and his entire unit looked at one another, then glanced hesistantly at the waiting aliens. The major nodded. "Tell them to come with us, and to, uh, well, just tell them to be careful who they're attacking."

Annalise translated to Sul'ss what Tanner had said, and for the first time, perhaps ever, human and xenomorph joined to fight a common enemy. She knew each would regard the other with caution. Still, she smiled as they left, saying, "Tell your men likewise, Major." Shortly after the the soldiers had gone, Annalise suddenly felt dizzy. She started to fall to the floor, before she felt herself being scooped up by Sul'ss, who heard firearms in the distance, and knew the battle was on. He took his mate to a private place to prepare for what was to come.

Outside, Tanner sent his troops off into two units, each moving for the group of men exiting from the landed ship, and obviously armed. They began firing, careful not to hit any of their new allies. The xenomorphs attacked any of the invaders who tried to circle around the center of the combat.

Surprised at seeing any opposition at all, the intruders began firing back. Surprise was replaced by shock when they saw tall black alien creatures heading for them, talons slashing. As they were grabbed one by one, panic reigned when heads were crushed by strong jaws, or bodies were burned through by splashing green blood.

"Shooting the bastards doesn't help," shouted one man, who saw his buddy with a badly burned arm, white bone lying exposed. As he examined the man's wound, he noticed alien blood sizzling like acid on his friend's weapon.

Tanner ducked as laser streams flew over his head. As he stood to give an order, he felt himself shoved to the ground. One of the xenomorphs had seen the human being attacked from behind, and pushed him out of the way before grabbing the attacker at the throat and squeezing, pulled his head from his body.

"Thanks," Tanner yelled out, not sure if his savior would understand.

The fighting was fierce, but it wasn't long before the invaders had been subdued, the few survivors neatly secured.

Several of the aliens had been killed, and Tanner was saddened to see a few of his own men lying still upon the ground. But they had defeated the Weyland-Yutani soldiers, after making peace with the xenomorphs. All in all, it had been a successful mission. He looked back towards the building where they had left Annalise waiting, but his thoughts were interrupted by Conrad. Their ship had apparently moved over the surface of the planet, and was just overhead, if miles above them. A call came in for a mission update. Soon, they would be loading up the drop ship, and returning to their vessel for the trip back home. The two men decided that they would need to find some way to explain their actions, knowing that they wouldn't be let off the hook so easily. They saw their mission a success due to their decision to cooperate with the aliens, but they could also be seen by others to have interfered in the true mission at hand, securing the eggs of the now dead xenomorph Queen.

Inside the complex, Sul'ss held Annalise in his arms as close as he could, to offer her his comfort. So much had happened to her, things she would now have to adjust to in order to survive. Noticing her rousing, he sent his thoughts to her, I cannot mate with you again, h'sta-ess, not for awhile.

Annalise looked up at her inhuman lover, wondering why he wanted to deprive himself of something he had shown every desire for. "Why not?" she asked.

I can no longer mate with you while you are in your current physical condition.

"My...my current physical condition?"

Perhaps because you are human, there is much I am not sure of. The Mother imparted to me this information. You are carrying a So'reth'esst, one that is part of me and part of you.

"A hybrid," Annalise whispered. She touched her belly, imagining what a baby with a mix of human and xenomorph DNA would look like. How did the Queen know she was pregnant, Annalise wondered. "How long will I...uh, carry the baby?" If it was a baby she was carrying.

You are human, so I do not know the time involved. Your way of giving life to our kind will be very different than the Mother's way. You will give birth when the time is right. Sul'ss touched Annalise's face gently with one taloned finger. There will be no more eggs to watch over. There will be no need for hosts. There will be no more...killing.

Annalise remembered the Mother's order to her. "I can't do this, Sul'ss. I don't have the means, the understanding, to do what she wanted of me."

Sul'ss bowed his head, also remembering the Mother's last thoughts to him. But she was gone. You are now the Mother, h'sta-ess.

It was true. She was Queen to the nest of xenomorphs. She was the leader, the guide, the comforter, and now apparently, the breeder for future generations.

Annalise was attempting to keep from freaking out. It was almost too much to comprehend. She was carrying a xenomorph child, the Mother had basically handed her the crown presumptive, and a group of Weyland-Yutani soldiers may have just been slaughtered, something the company wouldn't take lightly.

Panic overwhelmed Annalise. "I can't do this, Sul'ss. She wants me to lead you all, but I'm not one of you! No, no, I can't!"

Sul'ss held his mate, purring to her softly, trying to get her to calm down.

Annalise pulled away from her alien lover, and stood. She began pacing, her hands hovering over her belly. She mouthed her doubts silently, as her heart raced. She wanted to run, but knew there was no place to go. She had to face her future.

Annalise suddenly doubled over in pain. Her thoughts instantly went to her unborn child. Was it dying inside her, unable to survive being a hybrid? She fell against Sul'ss who picked her up in his arms and carried her to a corner of the egg chamber. Annalise started shivering, and pulled herself into a fetal position.

Just then, Tanner and a few of his soldiers came into the chamber. Calling out, he thought he heard loud moaning, and ran for the sound. Finding Annalise lying on the floor, with her alien companion next to her, he raced to her side. Moments later, his medic was examining the trembling woman.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked Private Larson, who was taking Annalise's vitals.

"I don't know, sir. Her pulse has increased, as has her respiration. She's perspiring freely, but has a high fever."

Sul'ss pushed at the humans, hissing at them threatening, but did nothing to hurt them. He swung his head over to a gathered group of his siblings, hissing at them harshly. They come over quickly, and huddled with their older brother.

Tanner and Conrad looked at one another, shrugging at the hissing that had to be a language, but was nothing they could understand. They watched as the xenomorphs hovered over Annalise, their mouths open, liquid dripping form their jaws. Tanner started to intercede, but Sul'ss hissing at him in a more threatening manner forced him to take a step back.

Sul'ss did not want to hurt the human, but he lifted his talons toward him in warning. He and his siblings continued their work. It was important that they complete the job, or Annalise would die. The Mother had been explicit in her instructions.

When the xenomorphs finished, they stepped away and left the now cocooned Annalise alone. The humans did likewise. Tanner and Conrad had no idea what was happening, but nonetheless, they waited. They noticed the liquid had turned into a harder substance as time passed, very similar to the floors and walls created by the alien creatures.

One of the Marines squatted next to a sitting Conrad. "What the hell did they do to her, Sarge?"

"I don't know, Baker. We just have to wait and see. Why don't you and the others grab something to eat. We may be here for awhile. Once we're sure the girl is ok, it won't be long before we head back to the drop ship. The major will report to Mission Central before we go into hyper-sleep.

"Do we leave her behind?" the soldier asked, pointing towards the strange cocoon.

"I guess that depends on her, Private. Now go get something to eat."

"Yes, sir," Baker said, rising to pass on Conrad's order.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Hours passed, Sul'ss standing constant guard over his cocooned mate. His siblings had gone off to feed on the dead just after they had finished assisting their older brother. Tanner was disgusted by the idea, but knowing that allowing the aliens to eat those who had been killed in the battle would mean they would not kill his people. He ordered his dead to be buried first, which the aliens allowed. Each side was trying very hard to maintain a certain order and respect for the ways of the other.

Tanner passed on communications from the ship orbiting overhead. While waiting, the Marines fought off boredom by playing cards or eating some of their unopened T-rations.

Someone heard a sound. "What's that noise?" one soldier asked, lifting his eyes from his cards.

"I didn't hear anything. Come on, it's your turn."

But Sul'ss had heard. The substance Annalise had been encased in was cracking as she struggled inside. A hole formed, a hand now sticking out from it. Sul'ss reached in and pulled hard. He broke off more pieces until he could see his mate. Her scent was different, more familiar to him. Ahhhhnnleeessss. He saw her turn toward his vocalization of her name.

"Sul'ss." Annalise reached for her mate, letting him pull her from her encasement, now broken into several pieces.

The xenomorphs, knowing that something new and wonderful was happening, gathered around the newly formed Queen. They even allowed the humans to watch, reassured they were no longer a threat.

Tanner pushed his way through the mixed crowd to stand in front. He observed a nude woman, still human in appearance, but whose eyes were black in color. Her hair was longer, and a glossy black. Her arms, legs and torso had patches of the xenomorph body armor, so blended with her flesh, that it didn't impede her movement in any way. She had been changed into something different, a union of human and xenomorph features.

The newly transformed Annalise spoke. "I am now Queen of this nest. The Mother asked me to be protector of her children, my children. I will be all things to them. I won't adopt the xenomorph way of exiling the male breeders. My children will have their Father to protect them." She looked over at Sul'ss, who proudly lifted his great head to the ceiling, hissing loudly. "Major, you and I have built a relationship, and I ask that you continue to work with me as mediator between your people and mine. The xenomorphs will no longer be known only as killers. My children will work with humans. We will make our place in the Universe. We will be...civilized." She smiled.

Tanner returned Annalise's smile. "Of course, you're right, Ms Brevard. I believe these creatures can be of use, and the benefits will be theirs as well. I'll speak to my command, and see what we can arrange. Of course, Weyland-Yutani won't be happy being left out of the negotiations."

"My children will not be soldiers for the company's goals. Make that clear. We will work in peace with humans. But be warned, if any seek to harm my children, we would regard that as a declaration of war."

Annalise held her arms out to the gathered xenomorphs, who crowded around their new Queen, hissing gently in respect. She sensed Sul'ss standing behind her, tall and regal in his own way. He knew his existence would change as he watched his mate grow large with his offspring. The former Mother had never allowed him to mate with her. He was glad now, for he would live to see his seed grow strong in a new world, with their Mother to lead them.


	19. Epilogue

Annalise and Sul'ss worked hard together to make the colony complex over into a permanent nest. Major Tanner was of immeasurable help, especially when Weyland-Yutani began to ask questions. They were less than pleased when they found out their mission had been turned into something other than what they'd anticipated. But Tanner had friends in high places in the military, and was able to provide some protection for Annalise's new 'children'. The former human outpost was now listed off-limits to unauthorized personnel.

Annalise's pregnancy seemed perfectly normal, except for the time gestation lasted, which was much less than a human pregnancy. She had begun to show within a few weeks, and was now about to give birth a few months later.

Major Tanner had advised her to return to Earth for full medical attention, but she had refused, sure that her child would be snatched away the moment it was born. She would manage here alone, with her new-found protectors and caregivers. As their Queen, she could not have had better care from the attendant xenomorph females. The males continued repairing damage to the complex. Tanner had brought electricians and engineers to make sure everything was functioning. In the back of his mind, he wondered why Earth authorities were being so cooperative, but why question it. Until he found proof of some deception, he would accept the assistance in Annalise's behalf.

When her pains began, Annalise sought out a private corner with Sul'ss as her guard against any intrusion. With the old Mother, it was his duty to stand outside the entrance to the egg chamber with his brothers to protect the Queen when she laid her eggs. His relationship with Annalise was very different. She wanted him with her, ordering him to stay. She also requested two of the female xenomorphs to assist her if needed. They proudly waited with her, eager to serve their new Queen, even if none knew how the birth would proceed.

Annalise wasn't sure what was going to happen, whether she would give birth to a human, a xenomorph, or some odd hybrid. Fear added the possibility of her giving birth to one of those eggs, a smaller version, of course. Annalise endured the pains with trepidation, wondering what her child would look like. For all she knew, it would end up a mass of flesh and organs that wouldn't survive once born.

When her water broke, she squatted and began to bear down, straining through the pain, while the females hissed softly, watching. Sul'ss purred as he crouched near her head, trying to help calm her. He worried he would lose his mate to death. This troubled him more than the thought of the nest losing their new Queen.

Annalise, her senses sharpened by the pain, felt the infant move down the core of her body. She sensed it leaving her as fluids gushed from between her legs. Finally, she heard the soft hisses of a newborn xenomorph.

The females sent her thoughts of pleasure and anticipation, while Sul'ss caressed his mate gently. He looked at the small, black elongated ball that lay on the ground. It began to unfurl its limbs, the small tail extending itself as if it were stretching. When he handed the tiny creature to Annalise, she smiled as it raised its small head toward her, and hissed. Sul'ss sniffed at his newborn. It is male, a new warrior to protect the nest.

Annalise laughed as she sat back, already feeling better. "It's a boy," she said, but wondering if she would ever have human children. She couldn't wish it for the nest, but she could for herself, the desire for normal children intruding on her joy at her first successful birth.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

A few years had passed, followed by many more births. The nest grew, with most of Sul'ss' and Annalise's offspring looking much like their father. The small xenomorphs grew quickly, and learned things just as fast. When Major Tanner would make one of his many visits, they would gather round him as he brought them treats of fresh meat.

"That's the human in them, Annalise," he observed. "If not, I would most likely have been killed my first visit. Except for their appearance, they act like children, and learn things like human kids do." He laughed as one clambered over his shoulders, pulling at the sleeve of his jacket with its tiny inner jaws. Tanner handed the female xenomorph a piece of meat. "Still, as cute as they are at this age, they grow awfully fast."

Annalise agreed. "Those born earlier are as big as Sul'ss now." Looking around at the busy atmosphere of their home, she asked, "Seriously though, Richard, what's to become of us? One day, I can see us being shipped back to Earth. I don't even want to imagine what they'll do to us. I won't permit my people to be put on display, treated like slaves, or worse, studied by scientists." A shiver went through her, imagining a vision of one of her children sliced open, lying on an exam table.

"I won't let that happen. I give you my word." Tanner clasped her shoulder. But he, too, was worried what their future would hold. "I have to go, Annalise. I'll be back soon." The pair gave each other a parting hug.

Annalise watched out the viewing window as the major's ship departed. She was missing Sul'ss, who had gone out to bring back the fresh meat of one of the cows the military was still sending. She hated watching the poor beasts being slaughtered, but only because seeing it made her realize that Sul'ss and the others were still killers, capable of acts her former people found unacceptable. She feared one day, the other colonies would insist the creatures living alongside them be moved or destroyed.

Sul'ss was back, that Annalise sensed. She went in search of him, feeling the need to be with him.

Sul'ss felt desire move through him as he sensed his mate approaching. It had been too long for him without Annalise. Her scent reached him from here, an obvious sign that she was feeling desire for him as well. As he lowered his head to her in respect of her position, she placed her hands on either side of his tooth-filled mouth, and nuzzled him, letting him taste her with his inner jaws. He returned her touches with a deep purring, his talons lightly scratching her soft flesh. The patches of hardened flesh were as sensitive as her human skin, and he knew she liked being caressed in this manner.

Annalise was feeling as horny as she knew her mate to be. Since her transformation, she often found herself in the midst of pure animal lust. She knew that if she and Sul'ss mated now, she would become pregnant.

Drawing Sul'ss along behind her, she led him to what had been designed as her private quarters. No one entered here unless given explicit permission. Annalise sent her thoughts to her mate, running her hands over his body. She nuzzled into the soft spot of his neck as his head rubbed over her shoulders. In the corner of the room, a pool collected water that dripped from the moisture collectors in the generator room. Annalise liked having the water there for her use, so she had the collection pool built. She pulled Sul'ss to the warm water, and as they stood beneath the artificial waterfall, Annalise rubbed her body against her mate's.

Sul'ss felt his own body respond to his mate, his erection now exposed and wanting. Whenever Annalise moved against it, the pleasure drew a harsh hiss from him. Then she did something she had only recently begun to do. Her hand clasped his organ, stroking it in a way he had been caught off guard the first time she had done it.

The warm water splashed over them both, running in rivulets down their bodies. Annalise brushed the water-soaked hair from her face, while Sul'ss nuzzled her neck with his snout. He took in her scent, even through the water that fell upon them.

Feeling his demanding erection pressing against her, Annalise parted her legs, and turning her back to her mate, bent over slightly to give him easy access to her body. She wanted to feel him within her, moving gently at first, then more hungrily, until he stilled himself to spill his seed into her. No matter how many times they mated, the pleasure was always fulfilling for both. Two entirely different species were as one in this simple and universal act of reproduction.

Annalise pushed back against Sul'ss' thrusting, moaning loudly as she rubbed her clitoris, wanting to feel an orgasm move through her. She wanted to draw his seed into her when he came, knowing she was fertile. She cried out as she felt him nip her neck with his inner jaws, drawing and tasting her blood. His large hands held her fast against him, until he ceased thrusting. His semen gushed from his organ, filling Annalise to overflowing, the liquid dripping down her legs as she brought herself to orgasm. She heard Sul'ss panting in her ear as she gave a final few gentle thrusts against him.

The pair lay upon the floor, letting the latent pleasure fill them through and through, and recede slowly. Annalise nuzzled against the hard body of her mate, one hand lying on her belly. This mating would produce something special. How she knew this escaped her, but it was knowledge she accepted as truth. All she had to do was wait.

A few months later, her child was ready to be born. Again, her attendants gathered around their Queen. Sul'ss waited at her side. After an hour or so of pushing as hard as she could, Annalise sighed in relief when she saw a beautiful baby boy lying between her legs. She reached down to pick him up, cooing at him softly. He seemed perfectly human, except that when he opened his eyes, she saw they were black as night. There was no color to his irises. "It's a boy," she told Sul'ss, smiling. "Odd, how he looks like me." She played with the baby's small hands as she spoke low. "I wonder if you'll become more like daddy as you grow up." There was no way for Annalise to know what any of her children would look like. Her many children had been xenomorph throughout. Now she had a son who appeared human.

Feeling a sudden sharp pain in her gut, Annalise handed the baby over to one of her attendants, and pushed as her body demanded. It wasn't possible, was it? Was she having twins? She cried out as yet another child was expelled. This one was different from her son. As it unfurled its body, she could see that it looked like a xenomorph physically, but was lighter in color. The hands were more human-like, with no talons tipping the tiny, perfectly formed human fingers or feet. There was no sign of a tail, not even the nub of one.

Sul'ss picked up the small squiggling xenomorph, sniffing it. You have a female as well, h'sta-ess.

Twins, thought Annalise. And they're so different from one another.

Her attendants bent over her, hissing softly as they reached out to touch the tiny female. They, too, noted the differences in the Queen's new children. They would take the female xenomorph to the nursery, but leave the human-looking male with the Mother. She would know how to care for this one that was like herself.

Annalise took her newborn son, and pressed him against her breast. His mouth latched onto her hungrily as he suckled from her. She was glad that part of her anatomical features still worked. She would be able to feed her child. She wondered if he would grow as fast the others before him.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Major Tanner had stopped by for one of his ever-frequent visits. "How are things here, Annalise?" he asked, hugging her.

"New additions to the nest," she replied proudly, taking the major to see her new offspring. The female xenomorph was already walking, running rather, having a faster maturation period than her brother.

"She looks different than the others," Tanner noted. "Is she otherwise, like the others?"

"So far, Cres'sa seems like her older siblings," Annalise replied, picking up her son. "And this is Jonathan, named after my father."

Tanner was amazed to see a very normal looking boy in Annalise's arms. "Human, huh? Twins, then."

"Yes, he was born first. His sister followed." She allowed Tanner to take the boy, and as he held him in his arms, the baby opened his eyes. "Oh, Jesus Christ! His eyes..."

"Yes, they're not exactly human."

"Not exactly. Hmm...do you think he'll display any of the xenomorph traits as he gets older?"

Annalise honestly didn't know, and admitted such to Tanner, who was already quite taken with the boy. He let the baby wrap his fingers around his own, and cooed liked a contented mother. The major had grown quite protective of the hive of xenomorphs, and of Annalise in particular. Not in a romantic way, of course, but as a close friend who could be trusted completely. He handed the squirming infant to Annalise, who let an attendant take the child for awhile.

"Major, has there been any word on the disposition of this colony? We're quite contented here."

Grasping her shoulders, Tanner reassured the woman-Queen. "The military is happy with the body armor your people have been making for us. It's ten times stronger than what we use now. They have quite a talent there, your xenomorphs. Natural born builders." He turned to walk by her side as they left the nursery. "And the payment is adequate? If you want more, or anything else..."

Annalise nodded with a smile. It had been agreed in the very beginning that the military would provide cattle for the xenomorphs to eat. They liked their meat fresh, and seemed agreeable to the live cattle sent here by the military. "Thank you for negotiating that, Major."

"Oh, by the way, Weyland-Yutani has been making noise again, trying to get the the Presidential committee to listen to them."

Annalise sighed. Would it never end with them? They were determined to get permission to take some of the xenomorphs away for study. With Tanner's help, that had not happened. But how long would he be able to keep calling in markers? "Just remind them that, barring blowing this planet to hell, we would fight to defend ourselves, even if it meant taking the other local colonists as hostages. I don't like violence, Major, but in this instance, I stand firm. If I see one sign that the other colonies are being evacuated, a real war would start."

"I promise that won't happen, Annalise. The military is already benefiting from the alliance. Rest assured, I will take care of things." Impulsively, he pulled Annalise into his arms. "Your concerns are my concerns."

Annalise hugged Tanner back. "Thank you, Richard. I appreciate all that you've done for us."

Letting her go, Tanner cleared his throat, embarrassed by his sudden show of emotion. "Well, then, let's go see how the new armor is looking.

Nineteen Years Later

An older and now retired Tanner arrived at the xenomorph colony. The terra-forming efforts had turned the planet into a beautiful Earth-like world. The human colonies had grown and prospered, while Annalise and her people had also flourished. When Weyland-Yutani had been slammed down in what Tanner had promised was The Last Stand, Annalise relaxed. Now she and her colony of xenomorphs would be left in peace.

When Tanner had entered the Royal chamber, he was greeted by, not only the Queen, but her children. The xenomorphs had come to trust Tanner and welcome him during his oft visits.

But it was Jonathan and Cres'sa he sought out. The boy had not changed in appearance, and still looked human, except for the black eyes he had been born with. He had matured and grown, now possessing greater strength than an average human. His agility included climbing skills unknown by any human being. He could see in low light and pitch dark, probably due to something in those black eyes of his, Tanner had guessed. Cres'sa had grown like her siblings, but had stayed fair, an almost amber in color. She possessed all the attributes of her brothers and sisters, and none of the weaknesses of a human. She was smart though, smarter than her siblings. She was even able to make sounds that were almost English. Annalise took to training her in the language, hoping her daughter would one day be able to speak.

Tanner interrupted her thoughts. "Annalise, I want to ask you a question. You might not like it, but I want you to consider carefully before you answer. I...I'd like to take Jonathan and Cres'sa back to Earth, just for a visit."

She started to shake her head. "No, Richard, I don't think that would be wise. Jonathan, maybe, but not Cres'sa."

"I'll take good care of them. You know what those kids mean to me. I have a special unit now, a smaller one, that I have access to when I have something to do that's outside the loop. They'll accompany us the entire time."

Annalise sighed as she heard the voice of her mate in her head.

No, h'sta-ess, do not let our children off-world.

Annalise stepped closer to her mate of many years. "Sul'ss, Jonathan is not like the others. It might be good for him to see his mother's home world. And you know Cres'sa would not let him go without her." Brother and sister had been inseparable since birth. Cres'sa, having grown faster, took care of her older brother until he was able to manage on his own. Even then, she was never far away. "It's a twin thing," Annalise had explained to Sul'ss, knowing he wouldn't really understand what she meant. "Please, my mate, let Tanner take them, just for awhile." Although she was Queen, Annalise included Sul'ss in her decision making. She was still human, after all. She didn't want him unhappy with her desire to have the twins see her home world.

"Then it's settled," Tanner enthused. "Tell them to be ready, and in a few days, I'll take them when I leave." Turning to the giant xenomorph, he said, "Sul'ss, it will be ok. I promise." In response, Tanner was given loud hissing, leaving him unsure as to whether it was an affirmation or a warning. He would take it as both.

Four days later, Tanner was aboard his ship, with a strange-eyed human, and a pale colored xenomorph in tow. "You'll love Earth. There's so much I want to show you both."

Jonathan spoke for both himself and his sister, when he answered, "We're sure we will, Uncle Richard."

Sequel: http://archiveofourown.org/works/4407317/chapters/10009430


End file.
